My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Surfside Showdown

“Ladies and…other ladies, I guess, I give you Aquarius City!” Derek declared as a glistening city rose up on the horizon. “What we have here is one of the main entryways into the Javik region and probably the single biggest tourist hotspot in the region. Almost everyone who visits the Javik region comes through here at some point, so it should be a pretty good place to wait for your friends.”

“Wow, this place looks super-duper fun!” Pinkie Pie said with glee as she admired the city skyline. “I’ll be there’ll be loads of exciting stuff to do once we get there.”

“Hopefully not too exciting,” Fluttershy said. “After everything that’s happened so far I could really use some peace and quiet.”

“Well, the good news is that the city should be able to accommodate both of you,” Derek said. “There’s always plenty of things to do on the boardwalk, or you can just kick back on the beach and relax.”

“That does sound nice,” Fluttershy started to say, only to be interrupted by the sound of stomach growling. “Maybe we should start by getting lunch, though?”

*********

Despite moving as quickly as they could, it still took the better part of an hour to actually reach the city’s beachfront. By that point, both Pinkie and Derek were fully in agreement with Fluttershy regarding making lunch a priority. Thankfully, there were a wide variety of options at the edge of the beach and the three soon settled on a small eatery offering Alolan-style noodle dishes.

“Mmm, that really hit the spot,” a satiated Pinkie Pie said before letting out a small belch. “So, what do you guys want to do now?”

“We should probably start by heading over to the local Pokémon Center and reserve a couple of rooms, especially if you two plan on staying here for a while. I’m pretty sure your friends will pass through here eventually, but there’s no way of knowing how long eventually will take,” Derek said.

“That makes sense, I guess. And then after that we can explore the city a bit. I’m actually a little curious to see what sort of Pokémon live along the beach,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie, was there anything that you –”

“What’s a ‘malasada’?” Pinkie asked, having somehow gotten up from the table and wandered over to a nearby poster without either Derek or Fluttershy noticing.

“A malasada? It’s kind of like a donut without the hole, they’re really big in Alola. Why do you ask?” Derek said.

“Because I think I may have just found what I’d like to do while we’re here,” Pinkie Pie replied with a grin as she pointed to the poster she had been inspecting, which was declaring an upcoming ‘Beach Battle Champion’s Tournament’.

“’Prove your Pokémon are the champions of the sand at the Beach Battle Champion’s Tournament’,” Fluttershy read aloud. “I think I’ll probably pass on that. Why are you so interested, though? I didn’t think you cared much for Pokémon battles either.”

“It says here that the winner gets free malasadas for a year! An entire year of yummy sweet, fried dough deliciousness!” Pinkie Pie said, licking her lips in anticipation before glancing over at Derek. “That’s what malasadas are, right?” Upon seeing Derek nod his head in confirmation Pinkie immediately resumed fantasizing about the sugary treats.

“Personally, if I were you I wouldn’t even bother entering,” the snootiest voice Pinkie had ever heard outside of Canterlot declared. Turning around, Pinkie Pie found herself faced with a young man in a pink polo shirt and khaki shorts, with two similarly dressed men standing behind him to either side. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Chadwick Rothchester-Browne, the third, and as I’ll be entering this little tournament someone such as yourself really doesn’t have much of a chance at all.”

“Really? How come?” Pinkie asked innocently.

“I’d have thought it was obvious, but if you need me to explain it to you then I shall. The foundation of any Pokémon is its breeding, and my Pokémon have the most superior breeding possible. If you were to insist on challenging me with your, undoubtedly common Pokémon, then the outcome would be all but a foregone conclusion.” With that, Chadwick began letting out a snorting laugh that was soon echoed by the pair standing behind him.

“Well, I still thing this sounds like it’ll a whole lot of fun, and I’d never pass up an opportunity to win some tasty fried dough goodness,” Pinkie declared.

“Very well, I suppose some people will only understand their proper place in the world when forced to. It’ll see you at the tournament, then. Come, Reginald, Widmark, I do believe a cup of pre-victory tea is called for.” With that, Chadwick and his two lackeys pushed past Pinkie Pie to walk out the door, laughing to themselves all the while.

“Do you really think you’ll be alright battling against that guy, Pinkie,” Fluttershy asked once the trio was out of earshot. “He seemed very confident that he’ll be able to win.”

“Probably because he’s never had to battle anyone who wasn’t being paid to let him win,” Derek said sourly. “I’ve run into enough guys like him before to know the type. They spend their whole lives in a bubble courtesy of mommy and daddy’s money and they wind up thinking they’re invincible as a result.”

“Wow, guys like that must really get under your skin, huh?” Pinkie said.

“Trainers who brag about how strong they are and can’t back it up in general irritate me,” Derek said. “In fact, I’d say they’re one of the two sorts of people who annoy me more than anything else.’

“Two types?” Pinkie asked. “Who are the others?”

*********

“Okay man, check it, we’re in a new town, with a new start, so there’s no chance we’ll get tripped up by a bunch of losers like last time. Or the time before that. Or the time before that. Or…uh, how many times have we have plans messed up by a bunch of uncool goodie-two shoes again?” Femur said as he and Ribcage strutted down the boardwalk. “Eh, it doesn’t matter, we’re not going to have to worry about that anymore.”

“No doubt man, now we just gotta start some trouble to let everyone here know that they’re dealin’ with some real boneheads,” Ribcage said. “So, what kinda trouble are we gonna cause?”

“Well, we could…nah, that’s not big enough. Or, how about…no, we’d need more boneheads to pull something like that off.” Femur dejectedly slumped against a nearby wall. “Man, this blows, I can’t think of any good ideas for something bad. What’s even the point of being a grunt if you have to figure stuff like this out for yourself? That’s what the bosses are supposed to be for.”

Ribcage was about to commiserate with his partner when a fluttering piece of paper suddenly caught his attention. “Hey, what’s this…Dude! Check this out, this restaurant’s got a thing goin’ where you can get a year’s worth of free malasadas!”

“Seriously? Aw dude, sweet! I haven’t had any good malasadas since we left Alola!” Femur eagerly snatched at the paper to inspect it, only to let out a groan of frustration. “Hold up, it says here that to get the malasadas you have to win some stupid tournament. Entering something like that would be seriously uncool, even for malasadas.”

“Hold on, I’ve got an idea! I know a way we can get those malasadas that would not only be seriously cool, but would help us build some seriously hard rep,” Ribcage said. “All we gotta do is wait for those losers to start their little tournament thing, and then…”

*********

“Pinkie, are you sure that entering this tournament is such a good idea?” Fluttershy asked as she and Pinkie got ready for bed.

“Of course! If I win then I’ll get a whole year’s worth of malasadas! Although, if they use that same ‘average pony’s consumption’ trick that candy company contest used it might not last all that long. Some lifetime supply of taffy that was,” Pinkie Pie muttered sourly.

“As nice as that does sound, I think, aren’t you even a little worried about having to battle that Chadwick person? He seemed really certain that he’d be able to win and honestly he didn’t seem like he was a particularly nice person,” Fluttershy said.

“Come on, Fluttershy, you heard what Derek said. That guy was probably just blowing hot air. Although, he didn’t really look like a dragon, more like those snooty ponies that sometimes come from Canterlot to visit Rarity’s boutique. Hmm, actually, do you think snooty ponies are actually part dragon? They seem to really like gems the way dragons do, and being full of hot air could be like breathing fire…”

As Pinkie continued to ponder the possible connection between dragons and the stuck-up residents of Canterlot (and whether snooragon or dragooty made for a better portmanteau) Fluttershy redirected her attention to the incubator that held the egg she had taken responsibility for. “I just can’t wait to finally meet whatever cute little baby Pokémon is going to hatch from this.”

“Do you think it’s going to happen soon?” Pinkie asked.

“Actually I do. When we first made it out of the swamp I started to notice that every so often the egg would wiggle a little. And recently, I think I’ve even heard noises coming from inside every so often,” Fluttershy added before biting her bottom lip in an effort to contain her excitement.

“Really? What kind of Pokémon do you think it’s going to be? Do you think it might be one of those rock-rhinos they had at the breeding center? Or maybe it’s one of those cute puppy Pokémon. Ooh, maybe its like that weird-looking Pokémon Derek has that he doesn’t know I saw that one time.”

“I don’t know, but whatever kind of Pokémon it turns out to be I’m going to be sure to give it all the love and care it needs,” Fluttershy said. “In any event, even with tomorrow’s tournament this city should be a nice, peaceful place to take care of it.”

*********

The next day the group made their way back to the beach, where an area in front of the restaurant sponsoring the tournament had been marked off. A number of trainers had already arrived to sign up, with one in particular making his presence very known.

“So these are only one-on-one single elimination battles? How very quaint! Well, I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much, after all that means I should be able to wrap this whole business that much faster, and my time is far too valuable to waste.” Chadwick punctuated this last observation with a laugh. Or, as Pinkie though to herself, possibly an imitation of a harbor seal.

Ignoring Chadwick’s snorting laughter, Pinkie made her way to the table with the sign-up sheet. Seated behind the table was a rotund man alongside a large wooden statue of what Pinkie presumed was a Pokémon of some kind. “Hiyah! Is this where I sign up for the tournament?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes it is, little lady, and you’re just in time since we’re almost ready to get started. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Makoa, and I’m the one putting on this little tournament. Just so you know, in case you didn’t hear the gentle man behind you, the battles we’ll all be one on one, with the winner advancing. Any questions?” Makoa asked.

“Sort of, just not really about the tournament. I understood all that stuff, but I was just wondering what that is?” Pinkie said as she pointed towards the statue next to Makoa.

“Ah, this would be Tapu Lele. Back at my home in Alola, Tapu Lele is one of our guardian deities, and normally I keep this statue in my restaurant for good luck. Today, though, I decided to bring it here so it could oversee the battles. Speaking of which, I should probably get started pulling names for the brackets. I’ll call everyone over once everything’s ready.”

*********

“Hey Fluttershy, how’s Pinkie’s tournament thing going?” Derek said as he walked over to where Fluttershy had been watching the battles unfold.

“It’s fine, I guess. I’m still getting used to the idea that the Pokémon really enjoy all this,” Fluttershy replied as she protectively hugged her egg case to her chest. “As long as I keep reminding myself of that part then I think I’ll be alright with it all, though. On the other hand, Pinkie seems to be doing really well. I think she’s just about to start her match for the semifinals.”

“Lombre, use Absorb!” Pinkie Pie yelled out from the battlefield, prompting Lombre to fire a red beam of light from the marking on its face at its opponent, a strange creature consisting of a pair of clawed arms sticking out from a rock.

“Binacle, watch out!” Pinkie’s opponent, a young bespectacled boy in a bowl cut, yelled out. Unfortunately, it was already too late for his Pokémon to avoid the attack. Binacle’s hand-like heads slumped to the ground as its energy was swiftly drained away, prompting the referee to motion a successful win for Pinkie Pie.

“Well, that didn’t take long. From the look of it, most of the entrants were probably either beginners fresh off the cruise ships or locals who haven’t tried challenging the gym circuit yet,” Derek observed as he looked over the crowd of onlookers. “I’m guessing Pinkie’s been pretty much running over her competition?”

Fluttershy nodded with a concerned look on her face. “She hasn’t been the only one, though.”

Before Derek could ask Fluttershy what she meant, he heard a familiar voice from one of the other fields. “Magnificent work, Dewott. Another step closer to our inevitable victory. Not that there was ever even the slightest doubt to begin with.”

“Most of the trainers he’s fought weren’t even able to last more than one or two attacks,” Fluttershy said as she and Derek watched Chadwick recall his Pokémon, a blue, bipedal otter, back to its Poké Ball. “I hate to say it, but I’m a little worried for Pinkie and her Pokémon. Do you think she’ll be alright?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that Pinkie’s going to have a cakewalk on her hands, but I wouldn’t be too worried either,” Derek replied. “Going by that Dewott, I’d guess Chadwick’s probably about as experienced as Pinkie is, so a lot of this is going to come down to which Pokémon each of them uses. Besides that, assuming Pinkie hasn’t had to use her Z-Move yet –”

“Look, they’re getting ready to start the battle!” Fluttershy cried out, interrupting Derek’s musings. Indeed, both Pinkie and Chadwick were now walking towards the area where the final battle of the day would be held.

“I remember you, you’re the girl I ran into at the restaurant the other day. Well, I’ll grant that if you’ve made it this far then clearly you’re more capable than I had thought,” Chadwick said as he took his place at one side of the field.

“Thanks, I think,” Pinkie replied uncertainly.

“Admittedly it wouldn’t take all that much. In any event, you’ve gone about as far as you’re going to go today. Just, do try and last long enough to keep this interesting. If I let my Dewott fight too many easy battles it could start to lose its edge.” As Chadwick spoke, he flipped his Poké Ball into the air, unleashing his Dewott onto the field.

“Oh, don’t you worry, there’s no way I’m taking it easy on you when malasadas are on the line! Even though I’ve never actually had malasadas before, but they sound really, really yummy, and…well, anyway Toothy GO!”

The two opposing trainers and their Pokémon stared each other down form across the battlefield as they prepared to make their opening moves. Before either trainer could call out an attack, however, a scratchy hip-hop beat suddenly started blaring from over by the sign-up table. “Yo yo yo yo, listen up! We’re here to put this show on ice. If you think you can take on these boneheads, then you better think twice!”

“We’ll be helpin’ ourselves to your fine malasadas. Your chance of stoppin’ us is basically nada!”

Her eyes actually starting to twitch with irritation, Pinkie turned to see Femur and Ribcage standing on top of the sign-up table along with a battered boombox. “Seriously? They’re here too?”

“Surely these ruffians aren’t friends of yours, are they?” Chadwick, causing Pinkie Pie to blanche.

“Friends? Oh no no no no no no, those two are just a couple of meanie pantses who keep following me and my friends around and causing trouble,” Pinkie replied.

“Ah, so even members of the bourgeoisie have to deal with lower-class miscreants following them around. Perhaps we’re not quite as different as had thought,” Chadwick said, causing Pinkie Pie to sputter for a few seconds before finally facepalming.

The grunts, meanwhile, were engaged in a brief discussion. “Uh, dude, I thought we decided the whole rhyming thing wasn’t cool anymore,” Femur said.

“I only kept rhymin’ because I heard you do it,” Ribcage protested.

“Ah, my bad, I didn’t even realize I was still doing it. Anyway, let’s just get started with this,” Femur said as he tossed a net over the statue of Tapu Lele before flexing triumphantly. “Check this, old man, we got your guardian thing, and if you want it back then you’ll need to make with the malasadas pronto!”

“Yeah, so hand over all those sweets, or we’re gonna…uh, somethin’….um, somethin’ so nasty yer not even gonna wanna know what it is!” Ribcage added.

“Hold on a second,” Makoa said as he attempted to make sense of the grunt’s demands. “You’ve taken my statue hostage, and you’re saying you won’t give it back unless I give you the malasadas for the tournament’s prize?”

“That’s right, pops. Now make with the malasadas already!” Femur demanded.

“You two do realize that the winner doesn’t just get all the malasadas at once, right?” an exasperated Makoa replied.

“The don’t?” Femur and Ribcage asked in unison.

“They don’t?” Pinkie Pie echoed.

“No, of course not. If I gave a full year’s worth of malasadas to someone all at once then most of them would wind up going stale before they could be eaten. What the winner gets is a voucher for free malasadas for the year,” Makoa explained.

“Seriously? I mean, duh, we already knew that. What we really meant when we said make with the malasadas was…um, hold on for a sec,” Femur said as he pulled Ribcage into a huddle. “Dude what do we do now?”

“That’s easy dude, we just go with plan B,” Ribcage replied.

“Plan B? Since when did we have a plan B, plans are for uncool losers,” Femur said.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s true. But, we’re such rock-hard boneheads that we can do whatever and then call it plan B and these losers will buy it,” Ribcage said.

“Dude, yeah, that’s perfect. Okay, I think I know what to do, just follow my lead,” Femur said as he and Ribcage broke from their impromptu conference.

“They do realize that we can hear everything they’re saying, right?” Chadwick asked quizzically. “Clearly, these two are buffoons of the lowest variety…unless that’s exactly what they want us to think. Yes, I see it now, this is obviously a choreographed ploy to make us think they’re idiots so they can catch off guard. A clever plan, but you’ll have to do far better than that to outwit Chadwick Rothchester-Browne!” Chad couldn’t have possibly known it at the time, but at that moment he had accomplished a feat many of the residents of Ponyville considered impossible; stunning Pinkamena Diane Pie into complete silence.

The grunts, meanwhile, had far more pressing concerns. “Check it, old man, you know how some people say ‘dough’ when they mean money? Well, malasadas are made of dough, right? So when I told you to hand over the malasadas, I was really telling you to hand over your cash. I guess you just weren’t cool enough to understand me,” Femur added as smugly as he could.

“I’ve heard quite enough,” Chad said as he and his Dewott stepped forward. “Your assault on the rules of common decency and proper word usage ends here. Giving a pair of reprobates like you a thrashing will be just the warming up Dewott needs before our glorious final victory.”

“Is this dude for real? You’re stepping up on the two baddest boneheads Team Skull ever had. So get ready, because we’re about to beat you down like you’ve never been beat before. Go, Bellsprout!” Femur yelled as he tossed out his Poké Ball.

“Struggle all you want, Dewott and I are fare more than you lowly thugs can handle. Dewott, prune this weed with your Razor Shell before it makes any more of a scene.” Dewott nodded curtly as it pulled the shells from its hips, each of them glowing with power.

“Yeah, you’ll have to do better than that to crack this bonehead. Bellsprout, Vine Whip this sucker!” As Dewott leapt into the air for its attack, Bellsprout leaned its entire body back before snapping forwards and lashing out with its vine. Dewott, unable to dodge out of the way midair, took Bellsprout’s attack full in the face and was sent crashing to the ground unconscious. “Wait, that actually worked?” Femur asked in a stunned tone as he looked down at his opponent’s defeated Pokémon. “I mean…of course it worked! Because that’s what you get for messing with Team Skull, you get beat down and beat down until – whoa, Bellsprout, you alright there?”

While Femur had been crowing over his unexpected victory, Bellsprout had seemingly tensed up following its defeat of Dewott. Suddenly, Bellsprout became enveloped in a bright white light as its body began to morph and grow until its bell-shaped head encompassed nearly its entire bulk.

“Dude…MY BELLSPROUT EVOLVED!” Femur yelled out triumphantly. “This bonehead’s even harder than before, so you all better do what we say or you’ll be in for a beatdown like you’ve never seen!”

“Not so fast!” Pinkie Pie yelled out as she marched up with Toothy at her side. “We’re not just going to sit by and let you go around bullying everyone. Right, Toothy?”

“Totodile!” Toothy replied firmly.

“Aw, come one! You’re here?” Ribcage moaned upon seeing Pinkie Pie. “Can’t you goody-goody losers ever take a vacation or somethin’?”

“Chill, dude, I’ve got this,” Femur said. “I almost beat this loser and her Totodile when she got in the way of us snatching that Muchlax way back, remember? Now that Bellsprout’s gone full Weepinbell I’m going to pay her back for all the times she’s gotten in our way.”

“Hey! Your Pokémon may have gotten bigger, but Toothy and me have gotten a lot tougher since then too!” Pinkie Pie countered. “And besides, we’ve beaten you in the end every time we run into you while you’re doing something not nice and we’re going to keep doing that! The beating you part, I mean, hopefully not the running into you part. Isn’t that right, Toothy?”

“Totodile. Toto-toto, Totodile!” Something about the way Toothy responded caught Pinkie Pie’s attention. Looking down, Pinkie could see that Toothy was glaring furiously at both Femur and Weepinbell, as if it was ready to charge at them at any moment.

“Toothy, are you alright there?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“It’s probably just scared because it knows my Weepinbell’s about to –” Femur found himself abruptly interrupted as Toothy let out a furious growl while a bright light enveloped it as well. In moments, Toothy had taken on a new form, gaining a foot in height and looking considerably more rotund overall. “Okay, so your Pokémon evolved. That’s no big deal, I’ve still got this. Weepinbell, Vine Whip this fool!” Weepinbell obediently lashed out at Toothy with a pair of thick green vines. Toothy, however, snapped at one of the vines as it drew near, catching it in its jaws and causing frost to spread down the botanical appendage.

“Hehehe, it looks like Toothy just gave your Weepinbell a bad case of…frostbite,” Pinkie Pie said. Even as Pinkie Pie made her pun, however, she recalled an argument that she had once overheard between Applejack and Rainbow Dash about one of Rainbow Dash’s pranks. The prank in question had involved a July snowstorm and Applejack had been particularly upset because…”Cold can really hurt plants! Toothy, use that freezy-bitey attack again!”

“Croconaw!” With a shout of acknowledgement, Toothy charged forward, its mouth glowing with bright blue light as it went. Despite Weepinbell’s best efforts to ward Toothy off with its vines, Toothy was able to get through and clamped its jaws down on Weepinbell’s head, encasing the unfortunate Pokémon in ice.

“Aw come on!” Femur wailed as he recalled Weepinbell to its Poké Ball. “This is a seriously uncool situation here.”

“Don’t worry, man, I’ve got yer back,” Ribcage said. “Cool guys like us always have a way out of situations like this. Like a…SMOKE BOMB!” Ribcage yelled as he produced a fist-sized purple ball and threw it down onto the ground. Rather than exploding, however, the ball wound up half-buried in the soft sand, much to the grunt’s dismay. “Are you kiddin’ me? And I just got these stupid things, too,” Ribcage said as she prodded the ball with his foot.

“Wait, dude, you mean that that that’s one of the new bombs we got?” Femur asked, suddenly alarmed. “Dude, those weren’t smoke bombs, they’re – “ Before Femur could finish his sentence, the ball let out a high-pitched squeal before detonating in a noxious cloud of purple smoke. Moments later, both grunts could be seen staggering out from the cloud while coughing and gagging in agony.

“Eugh, it smells like they laced that thing with Skuntank fluid,” Derek said as the stench of the cloud began to disseminate over the crowd. “We should probably grab Pinkie and get out of here. Otherwise this stuff could seep into our clothes and we’d end up smelling like the bottom of a dumpster.” Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement, while keeping her mouth shut tight to help avoid breathing in the foul vapors, and the pair moved to collect their friend.

*********

“- and in recognition of her defeat of the idiots who tried ruining the tournament, I hereby declare Pinkie Pie the Beach Battle Champion!” The various contestants and onlookers who had reconvened at the Alolan bakery sponsoring the tournament burst into applause while a giggling Pinkie took a bow alongside Toothy.

Still, not quite everyone shared the general atmosphere of delight. “Well, I for one think awarding Miss Pie the victory is a tad presumptuous, seeing as how she technically never actually defeated me. But, I suppose I’ll let it slide given the circumstances,” Chadwick said as his two sycophants applauded his magnanimity and everyone else ignored him.

“Congratulations, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said as Pinkie sat down with her friends and a massive platter of malasadas.

“Thanks, but honestly it was mostly Toothy that did everything,” Pinkie replied in between mouthfuls of pastry. “I’m just glad he learned that freezy-bite attack of his when he did or we might have been in real trouble.”

“Ice Fang,” Derek said reflexively. “And don’t sell yourself short. Toothy wouldn’t have been able to use an attack like that if you hadn’t trained it as well as you have.’

“I’m just glad everything turned out alright in the end,” Fluttershy said. “Now if we can just find our friends without running into any more surprises –“ At that very moment, the incubator Fluttershy had been carrying started to emit a chiming sound as the egg inside began to glow. “What’s going on, is there something wrong with the egg?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s hatching,” Derek replied. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in realization as she quickly opened the incubator and gently lifted out the glowing egg. As she did so, however, the egg appeared to morph in her hands until she found herself holding a small, white humanoid Pokémon with green hair and a pair of red horns pointing out the front and back of its head. As Fluttershy looked up at the newborn Pokémon, it reached its stubby arms out to her as though it were asking for a hug.

“Ralts,” it chirped happily as Fluttershy looked back at it with an expression of pure delight.

“Huh, so it was a Ralts egg,” Derek said mildly. “That’s probably a good fit for you, given their temperament, and – and you’re not even listening to me, are you?”

“Nope,” Pinkie Pie replied on Fluttershy’s behalf. “Fluttershy’s gone into cuteness overload for a bit. She’ll snap out of it after a minute or two, so we should just give some space. In the meantime, want a malasada?”

Comments

[CyberDemonSlayer]

Pinkie gets and evolution and Fluttershy’s egg hatches, nice.
I really like seeing there visible progress in become stronger trainers.

[Xanderfox]

I expected Chadwick to be the Gillian, but it seems he might change his tune? Having his Pokemon beaten by a Team Skull grunt might force him to rethink the "breeding is everything" mentality and that people who aren't rich have more to them than he thought.

[WanderingPony]

They really are a match for each other. A Ralts absolutely refuse to stick with a partner who doesn't have the proper emotional temperment, and Fluttershy's about as good as it gets for that, next to Tree Hugger if they end up a Gardevoir. Probably not destined to grow up into a Gallade, given their trainer.