Today our heroes are still on the road to Rustboro City for Turquoise’s upcoming gym battle but their travels bring them to a fork in the road.

“Which way do we go?” April asked.

“I say we go left,” Turquoise said.

“I say we go right,” April said.

“No left,” Turquoise said.

“Right,” April shouted.

“Left,” Turquoise shouted. This went on for a good minute until Fluttershy broke it up.

“Girls enough,” Fluttershy said in a somewhat aggravated tone which took Turquoise by surprise since she has known Fluttershy for a year and a half now and that was the second time she saw her act this way. “The more you two argue the longer it's going to take to reach Rustboro City. Before the three of them could decide which path to take, a group of wild Treecko attacked them and stole their belongings. They then ran down the left path which decided which way the girls would go.

“After them,” Turquoise shouted while chasing them with April and Fluttershy desperately trying to keep up.

“Where does Turquoise get this much energy from?” April asked Fluttershy.

“Beats me,” Fluttershy said. Turquoise soon lost sight of the thieving Treecko and stopped in time for April and Fluttershy to catch up.

“Dang it, I lost them,” Turquoise said.

“Relax Turquoise we will find them,” Fluttershy said assuringly.

Inside a hollowed out room beneath a tree stump by an extremely big tree the group of Treecko were looking through the bags that belong to the girls. They also poked around with their stuff. Some of it amazed them.

Back with the girls they kept following the path until they ran into officer Jenny who soon noticed them.

“Where are you girls off to?” Officer Jenny asked.

“We were on our way to Rustboro City but a group of Treecko stole our stuff,” April said.

“You must mean the Treecko Thieves,” Officer Jenny said.

“Treecko Thieves?” Turquoise asked.

“They are a group of troublemakers who tend to ambush travelers and take their stuff. I was in the middle of posting some warning signs along the path,” Officer Jenny said.

“Well, is it possible to get our stuff back?” Turquoise asked.

“If you can find their den then it might be,” Officer Jenny said.

Meanwhile further ahead of the path was team supernova enjoying a lunch break.

“How can you two sit around drinking tea at a time like this?” Meowth asked in an annoyed tone.

“Oh chill out Meowth, The Dorkette’s are bound to come this way, we just need to be patient,” Isabelle said.

“She is right. So for now just have a rice cracker and relax,” Chris said. Unfortunately the relaxation was rudely interrupted when the Treecko thieves struck again and stole all of their food. One of the Treecko went so far as to use its twig to carve a T into one of the nearby trees in a swift motion like an expert swordsman.

“We will get those thieves,” Isabelle said in an angry tone.

Back with Turquoise and her group they were following the path looking for anything that could tell where the Treecko were hiding. As they walked they soon saw a giant tree in the distance.

“Hey what is that tree over there?” Turquoise asked.

“That’s the great tree,” Officer Jenny said before going into details. “Many years ago a group of Treecko lived in that area where there was a dead tree. What you're looking at now was the sprout that was planted to replace it sixteen years ago.

“Do you think we will find the thieves near there?” April asked.

“It's worth a try,” Officer Jenny said. Turquoise ran ahead and soon saw the great tree up close along with a bunch of Treecko living in it. Unfortunately those Treecko were not the ones she was looking for. Just when she was about to turn back she noticed something sticking out of a hole near a stump. After pulling it out it was her backpack which was nearly empty. Before Turquoise could rejoice a small twig was flying towards her and her instincts kicked in which allowed her to dodge it. It was one of the Treecko thieves who fired it.

“If it's a battle you want then bring it,” Turquoise said before grabbing one of the pokeballs on her belt. “Go Espeon. Espeon came out and was ready. Treecko was also ready and even started the battle with a pound attack which despite being lower leveled than Espeon packed quite a wallop. Espeon use swift. Espeon unleashed her swift but Treecko remained calm and unleashed a bunch of leaves which collided with the swift and caused both moves to cancel each other out. Treecko then followed it up with Quick Attack which also packed quite a wallop as indicated by Espeon being sent flying towards the big tree and hitting it. Turquoise could tell that Treecko was powerful and wanted it. The girls and officer Jenny caught up to Turquoise and saw she got her backpack back and was in the middle of a battle.

“Looks like Turquoise found their den,” April said.

“And it looks like she is battling one of the Treecko, “Fluttershy said. Just as the battle was getting good a suped-up bulldozer with the team Supernova insignia on it rammed the tree and captured all of the Treecko except for the rogue ones. The Treecko that Turquoise was battling was next.

“We will take that, Dorkette,” Chris said while cueing the net.

“Espeon use Psybeam. Espeon fired her psybeam which broke the net. “You freaks interrupted our battle and now you're going to pay for that.

“As if you can stop us with just your useless Espeon, “Isabelle said, rubbing the fact they had the type advantage in Turquoise’s face.

“Then how about adding my team into the mix,” Fluttershy shouted as she sent Cinderace and Ursaring out.

“And mine,” April said before calling out Mudkip. The Treecko thieve decided to help out too since their leader wanted to punish team supernova for interrupting his fight.

“Like all of you can make a difference, Go Mightyena, Sandaconda, and Dustox,” Isabelle said while sending all three of her Pokemon out.

“Houndoom, Metagross, and Dustox you come out as well,” Chris said as he called out his pokemon making it an even six. The girls looked overwhelmed with how powerful all of their pokemon were.

“Really wished i had my other pokemon right about now,” Turquoise said.

“Metagross use meteor mash. Metagross came charging at Espeon with its meteor mash until Fluttershy cutted in.

“Cinderace use Pyro ball. Cinderace put everything he had into his Pyra ball which resulted in a critical hit and sending Metagross flying and faint.

“You may have defeated one of our pokemon but let's see how you handle another. Sandaconda use,” Isabelle was about to say until a bunch of leaves which turquoise recognized as the move leafage hit Sandaconda from out of nowhere in multiple directions which caused it to faint. Soon the Treecko thieves made themselves known.

“You guys came to help?” Turquoise asked surprisingly. The Treecko nodded in agreement before focusing on trying to save the others.

“Big deal we won’t lose that easily,” Chris said before having Houndoom at the ready. “Houndoom use fire fang on the Dorkette’s Espeon. Houndoom came charging at Espeon with fangs covered in fire until April butted in.

“Mudkip use water gun on Houndoom. Mudkip unleashed water gun and managed to nail Houndoom with a critical hit and while it was not enough to finish it Turquoise could handle the rest.

“Espeon use Swift Tornado. Espeon spun while using swift which caused a tornado of stars that not only hit Houndoom but the other three remaining pokemon on Team Supernova’s side. The collision caused all four of them to faint. Team Supernova recalled their pokemon and decided to make off with their catch.

“Oh no you don’t. Ursaring use Focus Blast. Ursaring unleashed Focus blast which managed to nail the bulldozer and cause it to explode thus freeing the Treecko and sending Team Supernova flying. The Treecko were all happy and the thieves decided to give the girls their stuff back as an apology for attacking them.

“Thank you,” Turquoise said. Before the good feeling could continue the Treecko Turquoise was battling earlier got her attention by shooting its twig at her. “What was that for? Treecko looked determined and fluttershy could tell why.

“I think Treecko wants to finish that battle you two started,” Fluttershy said.

“Very well but we won’t be caught off guard this time,” Turquoise said as she and Espeon stood at the ready with all the other Treecko observing from a safe distance. Treecko started the battle off with a powerful pound like last time but this time Turquoise was ready. “Espeon use psychic. Espeon successfully caught Treecko with her psychic before levitating it off the ground. Treecko decided to use Leafage to throw off Espeon’s concentration which worked.

“Why did Espeon stop her attack?” April asked.

“Because that leafage was meant to throw off Espeon’s concentration which is extremely important for the move psychic,” Fluttershy explained.

“Then let's try something else, Espeon use swift while spinning. Espeon unleashed the swift Tornado which managed to entrap Treecko who tried to use Leafage to escape but failed as he took damage. Once the tornado subsided, Treecko was down which was turquoise’s chance to act. “Go pokeball. The pokeball made contact and contained Treecko. It shook a bunch and then clicked shut which meant the capture was successful. Turquoise grabbed the pokeball before raising it over her head in triumph. The Treecko went back to their normal lives as Officer Jenny was showing them the way back.

“If you take the right path it will lead you straight to Rustboro City,” Officer Jenny said.

“Looks right you were correct April,” Turquoise said as the three of them went down the path. As they kept walking, April decided to ask Turquoise something.

“Hey Turquoise, the next pokemon we meet, do you think I can have it?” April asked.

“I suppose so, but it's not really about who calls dibs on a pokemon, it's about forming a connection with them,” Turquoise said.

“She is right,” Fluttershy said. “Pokemon are autonomous creatures like us and we can’t force them to do something they don’t want to.

“Fair point,” April said.

“By the way how much further until we reach Rustboro City?” Fluttershy asked.

“Should not be long now,” Turquoise said as they exited the forest and reached what looked like a building that was on the outskirts of a big city but what was most noticeable was a bunch of trainers with their pokemon.

“Excuse me but how much further is Rustboro city?” April asked a random trainer.

“You're already there, this is rustboro hall,” The trainer said. Soon Turquoise saw what was going on and looked excited.

“All right, my first contest here in the Hoenn Region,” Turquoise said.

“You mentioned them before, what are they exactly?” April asked.

“A contest is kind of like a performance where a pokemon shows off its moves in a very dazzling and exciting way,” Turquoise explained.

“Oh you're planning on entering too?” A random Trainer with a kantonian Vulpix asked.

“I am,” Turquoise said.

“Then you better hurry because spots are limited,” He said before Turquoise took off almost instantly. Soon Turquoise was at the registration desk.

“Hi I would like to enter the contest please,” Turquoise said while presenting her contest pass from Johto.

“I’m sorry miss but your pass is no good, however I can issue you a new one,” The lady at the desk said.

“Please do that,” Turquoise said. A few minutes later Turquoise was all set with her new pass.

“Now I noticed you had a Johto pass so allow me to explain the rules for contests here in Hoenn,” The lady said before continuing. “Coordinators may only select one pokemon and that pokemon will take part in both rounds of the contest and combinations will be scored on a point based system.

“Got it,” Turquoise said. Turquoise decided to enter with Espeon since right now that was her only pokemon that was ready for contests since Taillow and Treecko were new and untrained.

“Alright, you're all set, “The lady said. Soon Turquoise reunited with the others.

“So did you make it?” Fluttershy asked.

“I did but it took a bit longer since I needed to have a new pass issued,” Turquoise said.

“How do these contests work anyway?” April asked.

“I think it will make more sense if you watched rather than trying to explain,” Turquoise said.

“Or you could enter and try it for yourself, “The boy from earlier said.

“Nah, I think I will observe for now, “April said.

“Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier, I’m Adrean and this is my partner Vulpix,” Adrean said while holding his Vulpix. April decided to use her Pokedex to learn about it.

Vulpix, Kanto form, The fox Pokemon, It controls balls of fire. As it grows, its six tails split from their tips to make more tails,” April’s pokedex said.

“Kanto Form?” April asked.

“There are some pokemon that have what is known as regional variants meaning that while a pokemon may have an appearance in one region will look different in another. For example the Kanto variant of Vulpix is the norm but in the region of Alola there is a white variant that is an Ice-type,” Turquoise explained.

“That's impressive how you knew that,” Adrean said.

“Thanks,” Turquoise said before it was time for her and her two friends to introduce themselves. “I’m Turquoise.

“I’m April,” April said.

“And I'm Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said.

“Well best of luck in the contest,” Adrean said before taking his leave. And so the girls finally arrived in Rustboro City and right on time for Turquoise’s first contest. Will turquoise win or lose? Stay tuned as the journey continues.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note

Turquoise's team
Espeon ♀ LV: 61 Moves: Psychic/ Swift/ Morning Sun/ Psybeam
Taillow ♀ LV: 7 Moves: peck/ growl/ Focus Energy
Treecko♂ LV:6 Moves: Pound/leer/ Leafage/ Quick Attack

April's Team
Mudkip ♂ LV:5 moves: Tackle/ Growl/ Water Gun

Fluttershy's Team
Cinderace ♂ LV: 45 Moves: Flame Charge/ Pyro Ball/ Headbutt/ Double Kick
Ursaring ♂ LV:30 Moves: Hammer Arm/ Focus Blast/Slash/ Metal Claw

Turquoise: Badges:0 Ribbons:0

I know this may seem rushed but i'm doing my best with the pacing.