As I leaned against the railing overlooking Field 10, Teddy rested on my shoulders like a scarf that occasionally snored, and I had a berry snack pouch open in one hand, because, well—he wouldn’t stop tapping for it.

  Flavio sat next to me on the bench, stretched out like he owned the world, lazily tossing a small training ball between his hands while Koa perched beside him, one wing flicking in sync with every toss. The hawk-like Pokémon kept his eyes on the field, but he was waiting for his turn to perform.

  Viktor and Claire arrived together a moment later, chatting softly in Kalosian. Claire’s honey-brown braid swung gently with each step, her posture reserved. Viktor spotted us first and waved, the boy was a cheerful blond student—medium-length hair, bright blue eyes, and a grin like he was always mid-laugh.

  “Hey, Gabriel,” he said, offering a hand. I shook it, and Flavio gave him a casual salute from his spot on the bench.

  Meanwhile, Claire gave me a polite nod before heading straight down toward the arena, where Melody already stood tall on her side of the field—calm but focused.

  Claire had this quiet intensity, like the only thing that really existed for her right now was the match. She raised her hand. “Go, Flèche!”

  A Fletchling burst out in a whirl of feathers and flame-tinted light, fluttering in place for a second before diving down to land on the field. The little bird fluffed its wings and let out a sharp chirp.

  “Fletchling’s got that Kalos flare,” said Viktor to my left.

  “Claire’s kind of my unofficial partner-in-crime,” he added with a grin. “We met during orientation—fellow Kalosians stick together, y’know?”

  I laughed. “So you’re here for moral support?”

  He pointed at the field. “More like strategic observation. And my battle against Flavio is next.”

  Down on the field, Melody released Meli with a flourish. The Alolan Vulpix shimmered into view. She gave a soft yip, poised and elegant as always.

  The referee, a third-year with a half-shaved haircut and a clipboard, raised his voice. “One-point match. Melody Walker versus Claire Bellecendre. Begin!”

  “Quick Attack, Flèche!” Claire called instantly.

  Fletchling shot forward like a bullet, wings tucked, beak aimed straight at Meli.

  “Disable!” Melody countered, already reacting.

  Meli’s eyes flashed blue. Fletchling shimmered mid-dash, the glow of Quick Attack shorting out in a flicker of sparks. The bird skidded across the ground, wings flaring for balance.

  “Nice opener,” Viktor muttered. “But she might regret disabling that.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because Flèche has Ember.”

  And sure enough—

  “Now! Ember!”

  Fletchling spun mid-air and let loose a volley of orange flames, small but fast.

  “Ice Shard!” Melody snapped.

  Meli responded with her usual grace, firing crystalized needles of frost at the oncoming fire. The Ember attack splintered a few, but others hit, forcing the bird back. Not down—but not untouched.

  Still, it didn’t take long for the rhythm to shift. Fletchling started kiting Meli—keeping distance, circling, peppering her with more Embers.

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  Viktor sighed. “Claire’s smart. Disable took away Quick Attack, but that made Ember her best option. She’s just gonna spam it from outside Meli’s range.”

  “She’s trying to counter with Ice Shard,” I said, frowning, “but it’s not fast enough.”

  We watched as Meli tried a short hop to dodge, then fire—but Flèche dropped low, landing, flicked her wings, and launched another Ember.

  It landed clean.

  Meli winced and stumbled back, breathing hard.

  Melody clenched her fist, visibly frustrated, but didn’t rush. She called for another Ice Shard.

  Another Ember answered.

  Meli staggered.

  The ref raised a hand. “Alolan Vulpix is unable to battle. Claire wins.”

  After the battle, Claire whispered something in Fletchling’s ear before returning it, her face unreadable—but her hand lingered on the Poké Ball a moment longer than necessary.

  From beside me, Viktor clapped. “Told you. She’s good.”

  I glanced down. Melody walked across the field slowly, crouched, and scooped Meli into her arms, whispering something. Claire approached her, quiet and respectful. The two exchanged nods.

  “She already fought another Alolan Vulpix earlier today,” Viktor said casually. “That’s why she knew what to expect.”

  I glanced over as Viktor leaned against the railing beside me, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. “What about you? Any battles today?” I asked.

  “Won one match earlier,” he said. “Wooper. It didn’t go to plan, though. Nyx—my Noibat—basically did her own thing.”

  “Did her own thing?”

  “She’s a young dragon. Prideful. I called for Gust—she used Absorb instead. Total luck she had a type advantage.”

  “Sounds like a handful.”

  “Oh, completely.” He smirked, then tilted his head toward me. “How about you?”

  “Three matches. Three wins.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Damn. That’s clean. Wait—how many points are you sitting on now?”

  Before I could answer, Flavio chimed in from the bench behind us, still tossing the small training ball back and forth with Koa. “Sixty-eight. My guy’s a monster.”

  Viktor turned fully toward me, mouth slightly open. “Sixty-eight?! Already?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “To be fair, twenty-five of those came from one match.”

  Viktor blinked. “No way. Who was the genius that thought that was a good idea?”

  “Jeremy Fox,” I said. “He challenged me out of nowhere, threw shade at Teddy, then started running his mouth about my family. So I told him—twenty-five points or walk.”

  Viktor blinked. “Wow. Who hurt him?”

  Flavio snorted from my other side. “Jeremy’s the poster kid for what Instructor Knight was talking about yesterday. Aggressive, picking fights over nothing, throwing around ego like it’s currency.”

  He stretched out, cracking his knuckles. “Definitely his Bagon rubbing off on him.”

  Viktor nodded, more thoughtful now. “Yeah, I was thinking about that after class. Instructor Knight made it sound dramatic, but… I guess it’s real. You spend that much time around a Dragon-type, you start feeling it too.” Then added with a crooked grin, “I feel lucky. Nyx is proud, sure—but she’s not rewriting my personality. Not yet, anyway.”

  As Melody and Claire walked towards us, Flavio stood up and stepped onto the field, chest out, confident as ever. Koa followed with a spin and a chirp, spreading his wings wide like a wrestler making an entrance.

  Viktor grinned. “He’s fun. I like him.”

  He tossed his Poké Ball into the air. “Let’s go, Nyx!”

  A purple blur zipped into view—wings fluttering fast, ears twitching, a grin on her tiny face like she’d been waiting all day for this.

  Noibat.

  Once the two of them took their positions, ref raised his hand. “Flavio Rios versus Viktor Monet. One-point match. Begin!”

  “Hone Claws!” Flavio shouted immediately.

  Koa crouched, claws glinting as he sharpened his talons on the ground, muscles tensing.

  “Tackle, Nyx!”

  She zoomed forward in a low swoop. Koa met her head-on.

  They collided with a thud—and Koa didn’t budge.

  Nyx recoiled, flapping awkwardly, stunned.

  “Oh no,” Viktor muttered.

  She darted in again, ignoring his call to back up. Another Tackle.

  “Koa—again!” Flavio barked.

  Another impact. Another win for Koa.

  I heard Melody, now standing beside me, sigh. “She’s stubborn.”

  “She’s a dragon,” I said. “It’s in the manual.”

  Viktor called out, “Nyx! Gust, now—!”

  But Koa was already moving.

  “Wing Attack!”

  Wings flared, glowing white—Koa streaked forward, caught Nyx just as she gathered a pulse of flying-type energy in her wings—

  —and smashed right through it.

  Nyx spiraled and hit the dirt.

  “Nyx is unable to battle. Koa wins.”

  Flavio strolled back with a grin that said everything, while Koa mirrored his mood—light on his feet, wings flicking with each bounce.

  They looked like two performers exiting the stage after sticking the landing.

  “I hate how cool they are,” Melody muttered.

  Claire had returned to Viktor’s side, offering him a bottle of water and a low “Good try.” He laughed it off.

  Then, Viktor crouched, scratched behind Nyx’s ears, and gave a wry smile. “You did your best, huh? We’ll figure it out.”

  He walked over to shake Flavio’s hand. “You’ve got a real tag team thing going.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Flavio said with a grin. “Koa leveled up. Worth the match.”

  As Claire and Viktor turned to leave, Claire glanced back at me.

  “You’re battling Trish tomorrow, yes?”

  I nodded. “Lechonk, right?”

  “Oui. Another friend from Kalos.”

  “First match of the day,” I said, smiling. “Should be fun.”