“You ready, Mimi?” asked Chloe.

  They were approaching the training grounds on the edge of town. Most major cities these days had proper Gyms. In the past, Gyms existed mainly as badge challenges, but now they were hubs for Trainers—full-sized battlefields with mixed environments, specialized training equipment, and Gym Trainers on hand to offer advice. Gyms were the go-to place for practically any need a trainer might have.

  Vaniville didn’t have a Gym. There simply weren’t enough trainers to warrant one. Instead, there were a handful of practice fields behind the Pokémon Center. Even those were largely empty. A pair of kids Chloe recognized were battling with a Lillipup and Zigzagoon, and an older trainer stood near a large bird Pokémon. A Staraptor, maybe?

  The younger kids were busy, so Chloe turned her attention to the older trainer. He probably wouldn’t battle Mimi, but he might be able to help.

  “Excuse me?” she asked, approaching cautiously. She was still a little nervous around Pokémon. Mimi was a tiny sweetheart, but the Staraptor was eyeing her, and it looked sharp.

  “Hmm?” said the trainer. Then he saw Mimi and smiled. She really was the cutest.

  “Are you looking for a battle?”

  “Uhh, sort of?” Chloe replied, fidgeting. “Nurse Joy said Mimi needs to battle to grow healthy, but neither of us has done it before.”

  “Oh!” he said, perking up. “Well, I might be able to help. How old is she?”

  “A few weeks?” Chloe shrugged. “That was Nurse Joy’s guess. We aren’t a hundred percent sure.”

  He nodded. “Thought so. In that case, I can definitely help. Not with a battle, per se, we’re a little above your level, but I can teach her a few things, and give you some tips if you’d like.”

  Chloe’s eyes lit up, and she looked down at Mimi. “Hear that, Mimi? The nice man is going to help!”

  “Wile!” agreed Mimi. Chloe bent down and set her on the ground. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but Mimi was rather heavy. Steel-type and all.

  The trainer turned to the Staraptor. “Mind practicing on your own for a bit?”

  The Pokémon nodded and, with a powerful flap of wings, shot into the sky. Chloe couldn’t help but marvel. It was fast.

  “So,” the trainer began, “normally I’d suggest what those two are doing, find another new trainer to practice with. But with how young your Mawile is, there’s a better option.”

  He reached for one of the Pokéballs on his belt. Chloe noticed now that he had nine of them. That was about the limit most Trainers carried. Beginners usually stuck to two or three.

  He pressed the button and released the Pokémon inside in a flash of red light. It was tall, bipedal, and blue.

  “This is Arnold, my Toxicroak,” he explained, as Mimi hid behind Chloe’s leg. Chloe didn’t blame her, it was a little intimidating.

  “Arnold, you catch what’s going on?” he asked. The Toxicroak nodded.

  “Excellent. Mind helping us out?”

  “...Croak.”

  “Brilliant. Thanks, Arnold.” He gave the Pokémon a friendly pat on the head—impressive, considering it was almost as tall as he was. Arnold moved toward the field without a sound.

  “Um…” Chloe began, “what should I do?”

  “Oh, right,” the trainer chuckled. “The plan is for Mimi, Mawile, right?” Chloe nodded. “For Mimi to learn the basics. Usually, a Pokémon’s parents teach them how to move and activate their abilities. Since that’s not an option, Arnold will do that for her. Ideally, I’d use another Mawile, or at least a Fairy-type, but I don’t have one with me. Arnold’s taught youngsters before, and they have a similar body plan. It’ll work just fine.”

  Arnold stood still at the center of the field, waiting.

  “Oh, that makes sense!” Chloe bent down to talk to Mimi. “Hear that? Arnold’s going to teach you how to battle. Make sure you listen closely, okay?”

  “Mawile!” Mimi chirped, then scampered off, shyness forgotten.

  “I’m Calem, by the way,” said the trainer, offering his hand.

  “Oh!” Chloe blushed. She’d forgotten to introduce herself. “I’m Chloe. Thanks so much for helping. I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

  Calem laughed. “Hey, we all start somewhere. It’s our job as veterans to help the newbies.”

  The two of them sat on a bench by the field, and Calem started talking her through the basics. He had an impressive depth of knowledge.

  From exercises to improve stamina—“Most important stat in the world. You ever get stuck fending off wild Pokémon for three days straight?” To how to find good sparring matches; “Route 1’s a great starting place. Wild ‘mon are less predictable than trainers, which builds adaptability.”

  He even had advice on who to battle.

  “Strong trainers are great, but there’s value in facing weaker ones too. Not to punch down, but to see how they try to beat you. Clever tricks expose blind spots.”

  Chloe wasn’t sure she’d ever use most of the advice, except maybe the exercises. She didn’t plan on becoming a trainer. But Calem clearly knew what he was talking about, and he was offering it freely, so she listened.

  She smiled as she watched the Pokémon. Arnold danced around Mimi, dodging her little lunges, stepping aside at the last second. Occasionally, he reached in to boop her on the nose or gently toss her across the field. Chloe had been worried the first time, but Mimi landed on her feet every time—squealing with joy and roaring adorably with frustration.

  “So why are you here?” Chloe asked eventually. Then winced. “Oh! I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I don’t recognize you, and there’s not much in town for a trainer…”

  Calem stretched. “You’re right. I’m usually based out of Lumiose when I’m not on the road. But I’m here visiting my mum. She’s a local.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.” Chloe paused. “I didn’t know there were any strong trainers from Vaniville. Not since Serena and…”

  She trailed off. Realization struck.

  “Oh. Oh. You were the Champion!”

  Calem shook his head, grinning. “Nah, I turned it down. Not that impressive, really, Diantha was desperate to get out of the job. Wanted to move to Unova and focus on acting. I was her second choice.”

  Chloe frowned. “Why’d you turn it down? Isn’t becoming Champion the goal? Also… who was her first?”

  “Serena, of course,” he said. “She had a slightly better record than me. I think we ended 23–19. But she’d already decided to retire from the League. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a beast. Probably the strongest trainer in Kalos. Just doesn’t focus on it anymore.”

  “What does she do now?”

  “Technically? She runs the Battle Chateau, with the attached Daycare and Café. But mostly? She works in her hair salon.”

  Chloe blinked. “The strongest trainer in Kalos… runs a hair salon?”

  “Yup.”

  She looked at him again. “So why did you turn it down?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He shrugged. “Didn’t want to be tied down. My team and I want to explore, find ruins, learn things. Can’t do that from behind a desk. So Serena and I both said no. Diantha wasn’t thrilled, but when Shauna won the League the next year, she took the job.”

  “Maww!”

  A sudden wail cut through the air. Arnold had shoved Mimi a little too hard, and the little Mawile burst into tears.

  Chloe leapt to her feet, ready to rush over, but Calem held up a hand.

  Instead, they watched Arnold walk over and check on her, just in time for Mimi’s hand to glow and slam into his gut.

  Calem burst into laughter. “She got you, Arnold! Fake Tears into Sucker Punch,” he explained. “She learns fast.”

  Mimi was bouncing in triumph. Arnold… well, it was hard to tell with him. Was that a scowl? A smile?

  “Alright, I think that’s enough,” Calem said, standing. “She looks wiped. And Staraptor’s going to be annoyed if I ignore her much longer.”

  Chloe nodded. Mimi was clearly running on fumes, even if she didn’t know it.

  “Time to go, sweetie!” she called, recalling her Pokémon. She would’ve liked to carry her, but she didn’t have it in her.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, turning to Calem. “You’ve been amazing.”

  “Any time,” he replied. “Like I said, helping new trainers is the job. I’ll be in town for a few more weeks. Feel free to drop by.”

  Chloe nodded. She was pretty sure she would.

  “Bye, Arnold!” she called.

  The Toxicroak blinked at her.

  She still couldn’t read that Pokémon.

  “Back again, huh?” said Calem, nodding at the pink puffball in front of them.

  They were on Route 1, staring at a little pink Pokémon. The older trainer, true to his word, had spent the past month teaching both Mimi and Chloe the fundamentals of training. Chloe was constantly amazed by how much he knew. She really could see how he’d gotten as far as he had.

  After their first meeting, he’d brought her into the route to challenge wild Pokémon. Most were happy to battle, though it was considered polite to ask first, especially on calmer routes. It was also custom to offer a potion or berry afterward, though not every trainer could afford that. Budgets were tight when you were just starting out.

  The Jigglypuff in question stood in front of them, striking what Chloe guessed was supposed to be an intimidating pose. It mostly made her want to squish its cheeks.

  The little Pokémon had challenged Mimi four times. It had won the first two battles, being unusually strong for the area. Chloe had almost called it off when Mimi got hurt, but the Mawile had insisted on continuing. The next battle was close. The fourth, Mimi had barely won. And now they were staring each other down again.

  “You know,” said Calem, interrupting her thoughts, “I think you should catch it.”

  “Catch it?” Chloe blinked. “Really?”

  “Yeah. It clearly loves battling, probably more than most Pokémon out here. It’s probably already exhausted all its local opponents. That’s why it keeps challenging Mimi.”

  “Oh…” That made sense. If the local wild Pokémon were avoiding it, of course it kept coming back.

  “Besides,” Calem continued, “this is going to be a problem eventually. It’s either going to challenge something out of its league, or annoy the others so much they gang up on it. You’d be doing it a favor.”

  “But… I’m not a trainer,” Chloe protested.

  Calem raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Because for someone who isn’t a trainer, you’ve been doing an awful lot of training.”

  Chloe opened her mouth, then closed it again. He wasn’t wrong. Sure, she’d started because Mimi needed it, but… she loved watching her grow. Still, that didn’t mean she was a real trainer. She didn’t even have Poké Balls.

  She told Calem that, and he just shrugged and tossed her one.

  “Use mine.”

  “But what if they don’t want to be caught?” she asked, more anxious than she expected.

  “Good point,” he said. “Let’s ask.”

  He turned to the Jigglypuff, who had been listening to the whole conversation with growing impatience.

  “Want her to catch you?”

  The Jigglypuff considered. Then nodded firmly.

  “Puff.”

  “See?” said Calem, turning back. “Settled. You’re not going to let them down, are you?”

  Chloe looked at Mimi, who was practically vibrating with excitement. Apparently she was all for it.

  Chloe sighed. Outvoted.

  “Okay, fine. How do I...?”

  She didn’t get to finish. Jigglypuff bounced up, slapped the button on the Poké Ball, and vanished inside in a flash of red light. The ball snapped shut and clicked.

  “…Like that, I suppose,” she muttered.

  “Yep,” Calem said. “Sometimes it’s that easy. Pokémon coming willingly is pretty common. Even the ones that need a fight are usually hanging around because they’re open to it. If they don’t want to be caught, they tend to avoid trainer routes.”

  That was comforting. Chloe didn’t love the idea of forcing Pokémon to come with her. Knowing some chose to join trainers made it feel… better.

  “So… now what?” she asked, looking at the ball in her hand. She silently prayed Jigglypuff would be less work than Mimi. But given its battle obsession, she doubted it.

  “Now you get to know each other,” said Calem simply.

  They walked back toward town, Mimi and Jigglypuff, whom Chloe had already nicknamed Mochi, after a Kantonese dessert, resting in their balls, completely worn out. The two Fairy-types had become instant best friends and had run themselves into the ground with joy. Chloe, too, was drained. She just wanted a nap.

  “Have you thought about what you’re doing next?” Calem asked.

  “What, today?” she yawned.

  He shook his head. “No. As a trainer.”

  She laughed. “I’m not a trainer. Not really.”

  Calem sighed. “Chloe. You’ve spent the last week training Mimi like a pro. You just caught a Jigglypuff because it liked battling you. You light up every time you talk about Pokémon. You are a trainer.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, it’s fun. But I’m just doing this because they like it. I’m not about to go running off and challenging Gyms.”

  “Why not?” he asked. “You’ve got the talent. The drive. Two amazing Pokémon who are ready to go. You could really make your mark.”

  Chloe didn’t answer right away. They walked in silence for a while, just the sound of their footsteps and the wind in the grass.

  Then, in a small voice, she asked:

  “…What if I fail?”

  Calem smiled gently. “What if you succeed?”

  He stopped, turning to face her. “Look, I’m not saying you have to. And I’m not promising it’ll be easy. But if you want to chase your dreams, then chase them. So what if you fail? You’re sixteen. You’ve got all the time in the world to try again, or try something else. But right now? You’ve got an opportunity. Just think about it.”

  “I will,” Chloe said softly.

  Calem nodded, satisfied. “I’m heading out this afternoon. But keep doing what you’re doing. And message me if you have questions, I might not reply fast, but I’ll get to it.”

  They reached the edge of town, and Chloe released both Mimi and Mochi. The two Pokémon immediately began bickering in what Chloe assumed was a friendly way.

  “Calem, thanks for everything,” she said, then gave him a hug around the waist. “Really. You’ve been so helpful.”

  He chuckled, especially when Mimi toddled over to wrap her arms around his leg. “You’re welcome. Like I said, teaching’s the job. Remember what I told you, yeah?”

  “I will.”

  With that, he released Staraptor and took off into the sky.

  Chloe looked down at her Pokémon. Mochi was already bouncing in place, ready to cause problems. She sighed.

  “…Mum is not going to be happy about this.”

  Her mum was oddly quiet when Chloe introduced Mochi.

  Chloe had expected resistance. At least a look. Instead, her mum had just sighed and accepted it. That worried Chloe more than yelling would have.

  Dinner was quiet. The Pokémon stayed in their balls. The house felt too small for the silence.

  Afterward, Chloe sat at the table, scrolling through her notes. Her mum stood at the sink, finishing the last of the dishes.

  “So,” she said suddenly, “when are you going?”

  “…Going?” Chloe repeated, confused.

  “On your journey.”

  Her mum turned, leaning against the bench. “Chloe, I’m not blind. You brought home a Pokémon. Spent a month learning from some legendary trainer. Came home with another Pokémon. And now you’re avoiding eye contact. You’re planning to become a trainer.”

  Chloe stared at the table. “I… I don’t know, Mum. I mean, it’s a silly idea. I know you don’t want me to. But I’m having so much fun. And Mimi’s happy. But I don’t want to leave you.”

  Her mum sighed, crossed the room, and sat across from her.

  “You’re right. I don’t want you to. I want you here, safe, where I can see you. I want you to get a nice, secure job. Meet someone. Settle down.” She reached out, took Chloe’s hands. “But more than that… I want you to be happy.”

  She paused, then added softly, “I don’t like the idea of you wandering around out there. It’s dangerous. And becoming a successful trainer? That’s rare. Most don’t make it. But I know you understand that. And I trust you. I’m not going to ask you to give up your dreams.”

  There were tears in her eyes now. Chloe’s own vision blurred.

  “Sweetie,” her mum said, squeezing her hands, “whatever you choose, I’ll support you. If you want to be a trainer, I’ll cheer you on. And if you fail… I’ll be here to comfort you.”

  Chloe swallowed hard. “Mum… thank you.”

  And softly, but with growing conviction, she added: “I’ll do it. And I’ll give you a reason to cheer.”