Walking down to the centre of town, the usual High street was filled with market stalls that Elyssia and Caitlin checked out as they wandered around. The stalls were selling various trinkets and hand crafted items while other stalls sold some particularly good smelling pastries that the duo and their Pokémon indulged in, and they were as delicious as the smell advertised. After checking out the market stalls, they made their way into the clothing stores that lined the street, spending hours sifting through the large amount of fashion on display.

 

Caitlin bought a couple of pastel-coloured dresses that were in line with her usual fashion sense, while Elyssia ended up going a little wild and updating her entire wardrobe, needing Stella and Guinevere to help carry the clothes she was planning to buy. She was by no means short on money, and she was not planning on any major travelling for the next few months, so why not?

 

After paying for everything she decided to buy, she dropped the large number of bags into her shadow for Morgana to look after, much to the surprise of the store clerks who had just handled the massive amount of shopping. They made their way back out into the afternoon sun, deciding to go to the park near the High street to enjoy the weather and relax somewhere less crowded. They managed to find an ice cream vender and got themselves some regular flavours, pecha berry and vanilla, and found a bench to relax on.

 

This was where Morgana managed to play her next prank, secretly placing chilli powder on their ice creams just as they were taking their first bite, causing them both to panic at the unexpected heat. Their reactions were noticed by a few passers by who tried to stifle a laugh as they watched the 2 girls try and cool down the heat with the uncontaminated parts of their ice cream.

 

Spending time chatting and gossiping in the sun, their attention was soon brought to a Pokémon battle occurring on a battlefield nearby. Deciding to check it out, they found 2 young boys having a match on the nearby field. It was a battle between Patrat and Lilipup, both unevolved Pokémon showing their inexperience.

 

“Patrat, use tackle!”

 

On his trainer’s command, the Patrat ran forward trying to tackle Lilipup.

 

“Dodge that Lilipup! Quickly!”

 

Lilipup barely managed to dodge, waiting for its next order.

 

“Patrat, use bide!”

 

“Lilipup, use work up!”

 

Lilipup closed its eyes, suddenly becoming more energetic while Patrat held its ground, focusing.

 

“Lilipup, use bite!”

 

Lilipup rushed forward, closing the small gap left from the previous attack, directly biting onto Patrat’s hind leg and dealing a large amount of damage.

 

“Patrat, now!”

 

Upon hearing his trainer's command, Patrat released the stored energy, launching a small but powerful beam at Lilipup who was still biting him, sending the pokemon back across the battlefield, knocked out.

 

With a small smile, Elyssia started to clap, quickly followed by Caitlin.

 

“The was a good match.”

 

The 2 boys smiled, slightly flustered that their match was being watched.

 

“Bring your Pokémon over here, I will heal them up for you.”

 

Hearing Elyssia’s words, the 2 boys hurriedly picked their Pokémon up and brought them over to the edge of the arena where Elyssia was standing.

 

Reaching out a hand to the side, Elyssia called out.

 

“Eris, can you pass my medical bag please.”

 

A small white bag popped out of Elyssia’s shadow, landing neatly into her hand. The appearance of the bag made the boys jump.

 

“What was that!”

 

“Where did that come from!”

 

Letting out a little chuckle, Elyssia opened the bag and pulls out a potion and got to work while Caitlin responded to the boy’s surprised question.

 

“That would be her Pokémon that’s in her shadow. You see today is Elyssia’s Pokémon’s dedicated yearly pranking day, and Eris likely decided to throw the bag to see your reaction, instead of handing it over like a normal Pokémon.”

 

Receiving an accusing look from Caitlin to which she only grinned back, Elyssia looked up to see the boy’s reactions, concerned that they may be freaked out about her having a ghost in her shadow.

 

“Woah! You have a Pokémon in your shadow, that's so cool!”

 

“Can we meet it?”

 

To Elyssia’s mild amusement, the boys wanted to meet the scary ghost, she should have expected that. Giving them a smile, Elyssia looked at her shadow.

 

“Come on out Eris, no pranks though, remember it’s just between us on April fool’s day.”

 

Upon hearing Elyssia’s words, a Froslass floated up out of Her shadow, covering her mouth while mischievously giggling.

 

“That's awesome! What Pokémon is it?”

 

Smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm, Elyssia started explaining.

 

“This here is Eris, she is a Froslass, the evolved form of Snorunt. We met each other shortly after I arrived in the north of the Sinnoh region, next to a lake. She is a ghost and ice type Pokémon, the ghost type being part of the reason she can hide in my shadow.”

 

The boys immediately smiled, getting excited, just like how she did as a child when interacting with Pokémon.

 

“So cool! Are you a trainer then miss? Your other Pokémon look super strong!”

 

Watching as the boy gestured towards Guinevere and Stella who were fondly looking at the young boys, she took off her glasses and smiled.

 

“That I am.”

 

Now fully seeing her face, the 2 boys' eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Wait, are you-“

 

Swiftly placing a finger to her lips, Elyssia smirked.

 

“Yes, I am, but I’m keeping it a secret, are you able to help me keep it?”

 

Both boys quickly nodded as Elyssia continued to speak.

 

“Thank you. In return, I can give you some tips about your battle?”

 

Hearing Elyssia’s words, both boys eagerly nodded, their attention hanging on her every word.

 

“So, for Patrat, that was a smart tactic staying close while using bide, but be cautious on your timing and try to learn a move like defence curl that will increase Patrat’s defence so he can withstand more attacks. As for Lilipup, the work up and bite combo was good, however since Patrat was using Bide, the damage you dealt was sent back at you in double and was unavoidable since you were so close. Next time, make some space while you keep using work up, and find the perfect time to strike.”

 

Hearing her words, the 2 boys enthusiastically nodded their heads again, making Elyssia imagine them as a pair of bobbleheads.

 

“And lastly, 2 bits of advice that I think are crucial for being a good trainer. Firstly, make sure that your Pokémon can fight without your input. Of course, train to battle like you just showed, but there will be times when you will be unable to issue commands, so make sure your Pokémon are ready. Secondly, be creative. The more creative you are, the more ways you can find to use your moves. Just think how many ways the top trainers you see on TV use their moves, the more creative, the better.”

 

Zipping up her bag and throwing it to Eris, Elyssia looked back at the 2 boys.

 

“Well, your Pokémon are all healed up and ready to go. And I think it’s time for us to continue our hunt for cake. Be smart, and I expect to see you 2 challenging me one day in the future, alright?”

 

“Yes miss, we will!”

 

“I will become the strongest trainer, just you wait!”

 

With a nod, Elyssia stood up, put her glasses back on and ruffled the boy’s hair.

 

“Go on now, it looks like your Pokémon are raring to go.”

 

Elyssia nods her head in satisfaction as Caitlin comments.

 

“You are still as cute as ever, motivating kids like that.”

 

Shaking her head with a smile, Elyssia retorted.

 

“Oh, shush you, not like you are any better.”

 

Elyssia started walking away, making her way past a boy with long blond hair, wearing a black hoodie under an orange jacket who was leaning against one of the lamp posts.

 

“Well, wasn’t that sweet. You don’t even look like a decent trainer with those Pokémon.”

 

Stopping in her tracks, Elyssia shifted her gaze to the young boy, tilting her head with narrowed eyes.

 

“Oh, is that so. You should keep that attitude to yourself, however, the last thing you want is to unknowingly mouth off to someone who ignores the law. I have seen some quite dark things in my travels.”

 

The young boy scoffed, rolling his eyes.

 

“I have nothing to worry about, after all, I’m going to beat the champion Alder soon.”

 

Shaking her head, Elyssia fully turned to face the boy.

 

“Is that so? Well good luck with that, that man has many year's worth of experience, and is currently the world's 8th ranked best trainer.”

 

Crossing his arms with a haughty look, the boy continued with his arrogance.

 

“That all means nothing. My Pokémon are the strongest. After I beat Alder, I will beat the other 8 as well. And that will be soon, the winner of the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup gets to battle against Alder.”

 

Shaking her head, Elyssia let out a sigh. She knew what would happen if this boy managed to win the cup and hoped it would pour cold water over the kid's flaming ego.

 

“Well, maybe that will be a reality check for you then. Arrogance will blind you, and when you are blind, danger will follow.”

 

Letting out a snort, the boy looked Elyssia up and down.

 

“You are not even dressed like a trainer. Besides, we are only allowed to carry 6 Pokémon around, all those poké balls are empty and just for show. That’s basic knowledge for a trainer. If you are so good, compete in the junior cup and prove you are worth my time.”

 

Upon hearing the boy’s words, Elyssia glanced at Caitlin who caught her gaze, before they both started giggling. Returning her attention to the boy, she started to speak mysteriously.

 

“Oh, I will be there, don’t worry, just not participating in the way you think.”

 

Turning her back, she started walking away with Caitlin, leaving a few parting words.

 

“You are not omnipotent, so try to listen to advice when it is given.”

 

Hearing another scoff behind her, Elyssia lowered her voice while speaking to Caitlin.

 

“God, what a little brat, he is going to get himself killed…”

 

With a shake of her head, Caitlin reciprocated Elyssia’s assertion.

 

“Sadly, his attitude is quite bad. I hope for his sake he grows up a bit. And on that note, is it not ironic you calling him a little brat? There is likely only a couple of years between you?”

 

Looking over at Caitlin’s teasingly raised eyebrow, Elyssia’s expression deadpanned.

 

“Very funny. You know better than that, honestly.”

 

Sharing a few laughs, the 2 girls accompanied by their Pokémon made their way back to the villa.