As Ran’s team hits the field in preparation for the upcoming match between Josie and Doro, the total number of pokémon standing around their small group increases to fourteen, making for quite the gathering. There’s some obvious tension between the teams of Doro and Josie, the prospect of an upcoming spar as their first proper interaction not exactly fostering ideal conditions to get too friendly with each other just yet.

  Which is why the arrival of Ran’s own team is an amusing sight, as they completely shatter the mutual awkwardness building between the unfamiliar fire- and fighting-types. As Ran and Josie’s teams greet each other, getting reacquainted with great (Aria and Chief the Growlithe), mild (Caesar, Skorupi and Ginger the Rapidash) or no (Golbat and Soot the Houndoom) enthusiasm, Ran’s Croagunk is blatantly relieved to see Toff, Doro’s Croagunk, glaring at Lady the Vulpix, rather than at him.

  For his own part, Ran takes the duties of a referee seriously, as he raises his voice above the slowly increasing volume of the colorful menagerie they’ve unleashed on Olivine City Beach.

  “Alright listen up all of you!” He demands confidently, successfully silencing the members of all three teams, “There’ll be a friendly spar to start today’s training. If your trainer gives you instructions to go train, you’ll do so. If not, you can watch the spar, but only if you’re on your best behavior. Interfere or misbehave and you’re getting recalled!”

  His words are well-received, the various pokémon all obviously eager to watch or participate in the upcoming battle. Of particular note is Josie’s team, as, with Lady the Vulpix now added to her roster, she’s on the receiving end of no less than three pairs of puppy eyes, as her team members blatantly beg to be let out of practice in favor of battling or watching the match.

  Ran doesn’t pay either of the girls too much mind as they instruct their respective teams however, instead focusing on his own team, “You can all watch, as long as you behave.”

  It’s obviously the right thing to say, as his team members all express their excitement in various ways, from Aria who spontaneously starts to chitter lyrically, to Caesar whose whole body seems to shiver in anticipation. Skorupi simply skitters up on top of Caesar, perching on the far larger pokémon’s head so that he has an ideal vantage point from which to watch the match. Even Golbat gets in the mood, actually staying on the ground and standing on his own two feet, rather than flying away to find a perch from which to hang.

  Croagunk is just as enthusiastic as the others, but for him, Ran actually has a follow-up instruction.

  “Croagunk, pay close attention to Toff, alright? This’ll be the first time we get to see her in action outside of sparring with you, so it’s important to learn with your eyes, alright? Try and pick up whatever it is she’s been learning under Doro’s tutelage, yeah?” Ran asks, before smiling proudly when Croagunk offers a serious nod, his usual easygoing attitude forgotten in favor of actual focus and a clear determination to learn.

  With that handled, Ran enlists Caesar for a moment to draw some lines into the sand, his starter’s large serpentine form making quick work of the task as he creates a suitable arena for Josie and Doro to have their pokémon battle in. Once that’s done, Ran heads for the referee box, Caesar coming to rest by his side within the referee box. Ran only allows it because having Caesar close by might enable him to interfere more easily, if there should for some reason be an urgent need to do so, which he doesn’t anticipate, but better safe than sorry.

  As for the rest of his own team, as well as Josie and Doro’s non-participating team members, they start to ring the arena. Golbat stands on his own two feet, with Aria by his side. Ran’s Croagunk actually stands with Doro’s Hitmontop, Quick. The two fighting-types are clearly chuckling over something, but Ran ignores their byplay in favor of watching the remaining pokémon.

  Chief the Growlithe lies on the sand, Skorupi having settled down by his side, clearly drawn towards the heat radiated by the fire-type. Finally, whilst Soot the Houndoom lies alone, baleful red eyes latched onto Toff the Croagunk’s form as she enters the arena, Josie’s Magby, Torch, has actually ended up next to Precise the Hitmonchan, who seems to be explaining something to the fascinated young fire-type.

  In the arena meanwhile, the trainers have taken their positions, Lady the Vulpix and Toff the Croagunk facing each other from opposite sides of the field.

  Before Ran can start the countdown, Josie speaks up, calling out to Doro, “We forgot to set a wager! This is just a spar, so not setting one is fine with me, but I’d rather double check with you!”

  “No wager is fine. Good catch.” Doro allows, before both young women direct their attention to Ran.

  “Alright, you can start in 3…2…1…Now!” Ran announces.Josie immediately calls for a Tail Whip, only to get cut off when Doro counters by having Toff the Croagunk use Taunt, which successfully enrages Lady the Vulpix into forgetting all about the defense-lowering move, in favor of snarling at her opponent. Josie doesn’t let it get to her however, ordering Lady to use Incinerate. The move, often seen as a precursor to Flamethrower, spews out of the small Fox Pokémon in an impressive plume of flame.

  Toff tries to counter with Mud Slap, bursting forwards on Doro’s orders to close the distance with Lady. The attempt is partially successful, at least some of the flames getting snuffed out when sprayed with wet beach sand. But it doesn’t catch everything by any means, leaving Toff more than a little crispy, skin visibly red and swollen in places, by the time she makes it through the flames.

  Once she does, however, she is clearly in her element, as Doro doesn’t so much call for a move, as she demands that Toff ‘knock out’ her opponent. She gives it a good go, jabs with purple-tinted fists and low kicks hammering away at Lady the Vulpix to visibly hurt the smaller pokémon. Josie’s first true capture isn’t so easily defeated however, as Josie orders her to use Quick Attack to get away from Toff’s attacks. Lady manages to do so after a few more hits, her run not particularly graceful, as she skids to a halt with rather little control, but that she got away at all is an accomplishment in its own right.

  Doro orders her poison-fighting-type to keep up the pressure, Toff obediently giving chase right away. It’s a valiant effort, but she isn’t quick enough to keep Lady from firing off another attack, as Josie calls for another Incinerate, which yet again burns away at the approaching Croagunk. This time however, the Mud-Slap is fired at a shorter range, dousing a greater portion of the flames and actually slightly impacting Lady on the other side. The attack itself doesn’t appear to do too much damage, but it’s enough to snap Lady out of her Incinerate and into another Quick Attack, as she rushes away once more.

  Unfortunately for Josie and Lady, the informal nature of the spar works against them, as although Caesar drew them a decent field to work with, it isn’t sized like a field in a Gym might be. Which means there’s less room for Lady to escape, enabling Toff to keep up the chase well enough so that Lady can never fully reset and get a ‘clean’ use of Incinerate in. It’s clearly something Josie realizes as well, and her pokémon is noticeably flagging, which means that unless she has a trick up her sleeve, the first round will inevitably go to Doro in the near future.

  Fortunately, Josie shows off a tactical adaptability that, to Ran’s mind, was lacking in the past, as rather than continuing to try and evade Toff for long enough to get in another decent Incinerate, she orders Lady to stay put and use Will-O-Wisp.

  The peculiar ghostly blue flames Lady fires off directly into Toff’s face are an intriguing sight, dancing across the Croagunk’s skin and leaving burns that look significantly more menacing than the simple reddening that the earlier Incinerates managed to leave behind. Still, it doesn’t come without a cost, as Lady fails to get away again, driven into a corner by Toff. As she tries to use Quick Attack to blur past the Croagunk and back out into the field, she runs directly into a Low Kick, which is enough for Lady to get knocked down and then out, as Toff follows up with an immediate punch.

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  Josie recalls her first battler and immediately calls for Ginger the Rapidash, who’d been watching from behind her, to step into the arena. She doesn’t burn-stall at all, which Ran can applaud under the circumstances of a friendly spar, though he does make a mental note to try and discuss that particular strategy with Josie at some point down the line.

  Before he can restart the match however, Doro also withdraws Toff the Croagunk, declaring that although she could probably keep going for a bit longer, she’d prefer to keep the needed recovery time for her most recent team member somewhat limited. It’s a logic both Ran and Josie can understand, as Strong the Hitmonlee hops into the field to face Ginger the Rapidash.

  The watching pokémon let out all kinds of sounds to express their (dis)approval and to show support for their favorites, whilst Ran experiences a private moment of awe at the sight of the two fully evolved pokémon, who wouldn’t look out of place at the Conference, as they face off. It’s a humbling thought that, after just a few months on his journey, when some trainers are still engaging in Tackle battles with their Rattatas, he’s refereeing a match between a Rapidash and a Hitmonlee.

  Once more, he counts them down, and then the fight is underway again.

  Josie immediately calls for Ginger to use Agility, but before she can, Strong has already closed the distance, feinting towards Ginger’s face with a hand before revealing the Fake Out as his leg slams into the Fire Horse Pokémon’s forelegs. It’s a staggering hit that clearly throws Ginger out of her attempt to use Agility, but neither she nor Josie are all that spooked, as Josie confidently calls for a defensive Fire Spin.

  The flames on Ginger’s fetlocks and mane flare up and out, forming into a whirling ring of fire that circles the sand around her, creating a defensive perimeter that instinctively forces Strong back for a moment. Of course Doro doesn’t just let Ginger regain her bearings freely, as she calls for Strong to use Sucker Punch. Her Hitmonlee obeys immediately, though rather than a punch he fires off a snap kick which catches Ginger in the side just as she tries to dart away.

  It’s clearly a good hit, but it doesn’t manage to keep Ginger from opening up a gap once more. Once more, Josie calls for an Agility, but this time, though Doro orders Strong to close the gap, he isn’t quite fast enough. Ginger’s whole body seems to become just a bit more slender, her hoofbeats landing softer and yet faster than they did before, as Agility takes effect. When she takes off once more, the effect is undeniable, a flaming blur leaving Strong in the dust once more.

  On a larger battlefield, the fight would have seemed completely unfair, but restrained by the arena, Ginger has more top speed than she knows what to do with, whilst Strong at the very least stands a chance of landing hits when Ginger has to break off her sprint to keep from rushing out of the arena. Josie clearly isn’t worried however, simply calling for multiple Tail Whips, with Ginger darting away whenever Doro tries to have Strong close the distance.

  The Hitmonlee’s trouble with opponents he can’t engage in melee clearly hasn’t been resolved yet, or so Ran thinks initially, at least. When Ginger manages a third Tail Whip before just skirting out of range of Hitmonlee’s vengeful Double Kick, Doro finally calls out an interesting order.

  “Pause, gather yourself and then use Swift!” She instructs, earning an understanding nod from Strong, who moves to obey to the best of his ability.

  Immediately, Ran can tell why Doro waited so long to call for the use of Swift, with Strong clearly struggling to use the move. Over multiple long seconds however, he starts to form the familiar golden-white glow of normal-type energy around his eyes. Unfortunately for both him and his trainer, Josie and Ginger aren’t content to just watch and wait idly. Instead, Josie orders Ginger to charge directly at the open target, the large horn on her forehead glowing a familiar and ominous purple, as Ginger executes a Poison Jab.

  She’s so much faster than Strong, it’s almost insulting, the attack slamming directly into the fighting-type, with Ginger’s horn aimed between and just below Strong’s eyes. Doro’s Hitmonlee gets bowled over, getting trampled in the process as Ginger runs right over him. To his credit however, his attempt to form Swift isn’t aborted, merely slowed down.

  Josie doesn’t hesitate to instruct Ginger to go again the moment she’s stormed past Strong, but as she turns around, the fighting-type kips up smoothly, even though he’s clearly hurting. This time, before Ginger can close the distance once more, Swift finally forms, a spray of golden stars appearing in front of Strong and flying directly at Ginger.

  Attempting to evade is pointless, and so Ginger simply charges through, taking the attacks directly to the face as she puts on a final burst of speed, blurring forwards before impacting with a heavy clap, Strong once more getting bowled over as the second Poison Jab hits home mere inches from the previous hit.

  Ginger is clearly staggered by the attack, which compounds the beating she took earlier, but she turns around confidently, clearly still raring to go. The same can’t be said for Strong, who doesn’t manage to kip up again, his attempt to regain his footing a lot more tentative. Still, that he manages it at all is impressive enough in its own right. A single look is enough to make it clear that he’s on his last legs however, something Doro clearly also notices.

  Without hesitation, she calls for another Swift.

  Josie counters by demanding that Ginger use Flame Charge, further increasing her massive speed advantage and relying on her fire-typing to empower the normally slightly weaker move beyond what Poison Jab can do when used by a non-poison-type. Immediately, Ginger bursts forwards, every hoofbeat sending up licking flames that seem to heat the air disproportionately, Ran actually having to wipe away some sweat from his brow due to just how much heat Ginger, and the entirety of Josie’s team by extension, have been spreading.

  The end result of the impending clash seems a forgone conclusion, but Doro clearly isn’t ready to concede just yet, as the moment Ginger fully commits to her Flame Charge, the fighting-type trainer calls for Strong to forgo Swift in favor of Reversal. With the pounding hoofbeats of Ginger, the noise caused by the spectating and cheering pokémon and the distance between both trainers, it takes Josie a second to figure out just what order Doro gave.

  By the time her eyes widen in realization, Ginger is already too close to abort her attack.

  Her whole body sheathed in flames, Josie’s starter slams into her opponent with what must be a bone shattering impact. Strong bends through his knees, clearly trying to get under Ginger’s torso before veering upwards in a kind of suplex maneuver, but before he can get that far, he loses his footing. He is sent skidding and rolling across the sand, right past his trainer and out of the arena.

  Ginger for her part, though clearly having taken a fair few hits, comes to a controlled stop some ten feet from Doro, her attention on the prone form of her opponent. Ran raises his hand to announce that Strong has left the arena, but upon closer inspection, he has to amend that call slightly.

  “Strong the Hitmonlee is unconscious and he has left the arena. He is doubly unable to battle.” Ran announces, leading to a proud shout from Josie, which is accompanied by cheering barks and yips from her non-participating team members. Doro doesn’t seem too bothered, merely recalling Strong and offering some comforting words to his pokéball, before turning her attention back to her opponent.

  “Technically, Toff could try to have a go, but I believe she’d stand little chance under the circumstances. I’d like to call this a technical draw, with us both having won a round, but I am happy to concede that the overall match is also yours, Josie.” Doro announces, leaving Josie to stand around with her mouth rather unflatteringly agape for a few long seconds.

  “We actually won?” The blonde mutters with no small amount of disbelief, before seemingly regathering herself, “We won! Great job Ginger!”

  Josie cheers on her starter enthusiastically, taking a few quick steps in Ginger’s direction, the rest of the distance closed by her incredibly fast starter. The rest of Josie’s conscious team, with only Lady the Vulpix resting in her ball, join their trainer as well, as they celebrate their showing.

  Ran is content to give them their moment, instead turning his attention to Doro, who meets his curious look with a pleased smile of her own, leaving Ran free to ask the obvious question, “Swift?”

  “A little secret,” She admits with a sly smile, “Though ordinarily I’d need to use a TM, Chuck was kind enough to let one of his pokémon tutor my starters for a few days. They’re all still struggling with it, but they’re making very respectable progress. Adding a ranged attack that can’t miss just makes a lot of sense for all of them. It was my match against you that gave me the idea, actually.”

  “I’m flattered,” Ran allows, before finding his eyes drawn to the jubilant Josie, “That was a good battle. Josie really made a lot of progress. Though if she hadn’t managed to get away there at the start, things might have turned out very differently.”

  “Perhaps so,” Doro allows, “But she is the deserved winner. You have a good taste in friends, Ran.”

  Ran turns to face Doro, giving her a beaming smile, before glancing meaningfully at the remaining members of Doro’s own team, who by this point have mingled fully with Ran’s team in what appear to be a series of discussions of the battle they just watched, “I think I do as well.”