This is the journey of a man named Chris, who had dreams shared by many, yet lived experiences known by so few... 
There are many people in the world of Pokemon, who come in just as many varieties as these strange creatures. And you 
are about to discover, perhaps, one you may just consider the rarest of all...


Chapter 10 - Got Badge?!


The two soundly slept throughout the night, with Ralts finding herself held snuggly in Chris's soft embrace, cuddling
her like a small teddy bear causing the Pokemon to flush and smile from ear to ear, holding onto him as she snoozed
away, feeling safe and secure in his arms. As they slept, their positions wound up a little... Awkward... By the time
the sun started to rise, with Ralts laying her stomach over Chris's face as she drooled in his hair. As the sun started
to slowly shine more and more into the room, its rays hit Chris in the face, causing his eyes to wince in response. He
suddenly stretched and let out a loud snore like snort, making Ralts stomach vibrate and, in turn, causing her to suddenly
snap out of her sleep and thrash all over his face, laughing loudly from being tickled by the vibration on her belly.
Letting out a groan, Chris reached over his face and lifted Ralts in the air, opening his eyes slowly with a yawn. Looking
at her with bags under his eyes, he told Ralts "...Morning..." in a groan-like tone, with the small Pokemon facing down
at him with bags under her glazed eyes as well, letting out a dreary sound as well as if to say morning in response, her
arms and legs dangling limply in the air.


He slowly sat up, setting Ralts on his lap so he could stretch his arms up high. Looking outside, it seemed like another
great day to hit the road, with sun shining and Pokemon out and about enjoying the morning air. Rubbing his eyes, he
looked at Ralts and asked if it was ready to hit the road again, with the small Pokemon simply swaying where it sat,
its head dropping repeatedly as it remained half asleep. With a chuckle, Chris was about to give his hair a morning
scratch as he yawned, only to feel his hair was wet and slimy. Letting out a groan as his body shuddered, he looked at
his hand then at Ralts, seeing her face still covered in drool. Scowling with a twitching eyebrow, he asked Ralts why
she had to drool all over him, and she faced up in response, suddenly jolting and quickly wiping off her face, smiling
as if to put on an innocent act. Shaking his head, Chris lifted her off and went to the bathroom, washing his hair in
the sink and returning with towel in hand. Drying his hair, he suddenly grinned at Ralts and tossed the wet towel on
top of her, causing her to scream and flail underneath it. Chris laughed as she freaked out, suddenly tossing it off her
small body and rubbing her hands all over it confused. With a smirk, Chris told Ralts it was the towel he just used to
dry off his hair and get the remaining drool off, making her shout and jump away from it, shouting at him with a red face
for having a dirty towel tossed over her.


He chuckled and rubbed Ralts on the head, telling her it was worth it as he turned to get clothes out of his rucksack.
As he bent over to put his pants on, he suddenly heard a loud snap as an extremely painful stinging sensation ran through
his body from his butt. His eyes went wide as he jumped, rubbin ghis butt and looking behind him. Ralts was laughing as
she used her psychic to twirl the towel and punish him, repeatedly snapping it towards Chris to make him dance around
trying to avoid it, struggling to pull up his pants. "This isn't the kind of training you're supposed to use to practice
your senses!!" he shouted, ducking and jumping away from the towel. He finally got his pants on completely and jumped
towards the bed, grabbing Ralts and causing her to shout as she laughed, the towel falling to the floor as her eyes
streamed tears while trying to breathe. Chris growled and started tickling Ralts all over as revenge, making her flail
around as she gasped desperately. Asking her if she learned her lesson about snapping people with towels, she nodded her
head rapidly. Backing away, Chris nodded with a smirk as Ralts laid on her back, breathing heavily as she slowly stopped
laughing.


Gathering his things together, he put his leftovers in several bags as Ralts walked up to him, pulling on his pants leg.
With a nod, Chris lifted her up on his shoulders and headed out the door. Looking around, he thought it wasn't a bad place
to stay his first night as a trainer in town, and once he reached the receptionist, he bowed at them and gave his thanks,
Ralts bowing over on his shoulder as well, causing the receptionist and several employees to swoon in response, petting
her as Chris backed away with a nervous laugh, asking they not spoil her more than she already has been by the town. They
all laughed as he walked out, waving the two off as Ralts scowled with her arms crossed. "Oh come on now... You and I
both know what happened last time we let people spoil you with affection. You don't want to develop an unfavorable personality
would you?" he asked, smirking as he walked along the streets. Ralts puffed out her cheeks, then sighed with a slump as
she sat on his shoulder, nodding in response. Taking out his map, Chris took a look at which direction he felt was best
to take, pondering whether to make it a straight shot to the next town, or do a little sightseeing by taking the scenic
routes. Unfortunately, just as when he was leaving the village, its never a good idea to walka round distracted, as he
suddenly ran into something and bounced backwards, landing on his back with a thud as Ralts flew up in the air and landed
on his stomache, causing him to grunt as he sat up rubbing his back.


"Well... That's no way to treat an old fellow like me!" he heard someone say as he looked up. It was the old man from
before, standing in front of him with a laugh. Suddenly, Ralts started bopping Chris on the head, shouting at him with
a red face in irritation. As Chris covered his head with a scowl, the old man laughed once again, saying Ralts was right
to give him a lecture. Reaching down, he helped Chris stand back up and gather his things off the ground, with Ralts
standing back on his shoulder with her arms crossed. The old man asked where he was heading to, and when Chris told him
he was leaving town to move on, the old man blinked with a confused expression. "You are a trainer, are you not? You
intend to leave town without challenging its gym leader...?" he asked. Giving the old man a shrug, Chris told him he had
yet to consider having an actual gym battle, still feeling as though he wasn't ready for it with only one Pokemon who
was just starting its training as well. However, the old man merely told him that was nonesense. "You can't be a trainer
and simply waltz around willy nilly! You have to have some ambition! A willingness to face a challenge, ready or not,
at any time to truly test yourself! Its how you grow in this world!" he said, giving Chris a push in the direction opposite
of which he was heading. Pointing out directions, he sent Chris on his way towards the towns gym instead, grinning slyly
as he waved him off. With a slump, Chris went where he was told, groaning as he rubbed the back of his head, Ralts picking
up on his mood and movements and doing the same as it stood on his shoulder.


Once he was out of sight, the old man chuckled and opened his eyes. "You can come out now you two..." he said, looking
towards each side of him. A man and woman suddenly jumped out from behind nearby rooftops, landing at both sides of the
old man with a bow. "So... Is what you said true about his progress...? the old man asked. "Yes sir... He was able to win
several battles against trainers within the town borders... Some of the trainers were recruiters from our own gym who
seek out opponents for you, as you know..." the woman said, bowing her head. "Interesting... And what of the... Violent
young man caught mistreating his Pokemon near our center?" the old man asked. "As we reported, Chris was returning to the
inn when he discovered the scenario. We were going to take action ourselves until we saw him walking up. He stopped the
trainer from abusing his Pokemon any further and aided it..." the man said, bowing his head. '...Using his Ralts to do
so?" the old man asked with a serious expression. "No sir. As the trainer proceeded to kick his Pokemon, that Chris fellow
stopped him using his own leg, smashing his own shin against the trainers just before his foot came into contact with his
Pokemon. After this, he had a word with the trainer before taking away his Pokemon to the center. He did use his Ralts
to hold the trainer in place however until he returned with a pair of officers from our town... Beyond that, there was
no use of his Ralts against the trainer..." the woman said as they faced the same direction as the old man and started
walking together.


"Interesting... Very interesting... He has trained a blind Pokemon at an impressive rate... Stopped the abuse of a Pokemon
by its trainer without using his own to do so... I find myself fancying that young fellow more and more... This will be
an entertaining match!" the old man said, laughing as they walked along in the same direction Chris was sent. He had already
reached the gym however, and looked up at the giant carving of a Pangoro standing in front of the entrance. "Creepy... Its like
deja vu..." he said, walking under the massive work of art and looking at the doors in front of him. As he tried to pull
them open, he realized they were all locked, and he scratched his head confused. "Nobody home...? Maybe its invite only...?"
he said, turning and looking around. "Too early maybe...?" he said, looking at Ralts who simply shruged in response,
hopping behind his head and patting on it like a drum once again to pass the time.


Soon, he suddenly heard the doors click, and two staff members opened them to allow him inside, bowing and welcoming
him as he blinked at them and walked past. Looking around, he followed the two through the gym, who just so happen to
be the same man and woman who met up with the old man just moments ago! As Chris examined the passages, he saw paintings
of many trainers and their Pokemon, with several small statues lining the halls as well featuring them. "What's with all
the pictures and statues...? Are they gym leaders or relatives...?" Chris asked the two. "Every painting within these
halls feature the most extraordinary of trainers, deemed the most unique by our leader. Whenever a trainer comes here
that particularly catches his eye, the leader orders a painting of them and the Pokemon they brought to challenge him
with." the man said, pointing out various paintings. "Also, when one of these particular trainers advance into eventually
becoming one of this regions Pokemon masters, he then orders a special statue of them. Whilst he has many paintings,
he only has a select number of statues, because as you know, becoming a master is very difficult." the woman said, pointing
out various statues. Nodding at them in response, Chris continued to examine all the works of art until they suddenly
reached a huge pair of doors. Telling him they had arrived, the two slowly opened the doors and allowed Chris to enter.


Thanking them and walking past, his eyes widened as his jaw dropped, looking around at the open air arena before him.
Looking up, the ceiling was pulled back to allow a clear view of the sky above, and around the arena were various small
waterfalls, created by building the gym in the center of where the towns streams converged, each streaming into a river
surrounding the arena. After waiting for a short while, and with no sign of the leader arriving anytime soon, he decided
to go ahead and have a quick bite to eat with Ralts since they left without taking the time to enjoy breakfast. Seeing
a table near the entrance, he sat his belongings on top of it and took out a container of leftover stew, enjoying a few
bites with Ralts as he enjoyed the sound of the water. It was weird... He always expected gym arenas to be intimidating,
but here he couldn't help feeling relaxed. However, he started hearing another sound... An odd rumbling noise that was
coming from behind him. Turning around, he suddenly saw a large Pangoro sitting with its legs crossed, lifting its hand
to wave with a grunt as its stomach growled, causing it to sweat. Chris just stared at it and blinked for a moment before
suddenly jumping away, his spoon going into his throat due to being in the middle of taking a bite of food. As he began
choking, Pangoro stood up and gave him a casual swat on the back, making the spoon come out of his throat so he could
gasp in fresh air.


It sat back down and grunted, simply looking at Chris again as he stood rubbing his throat with a sigh, relieved as
Ralts rubbed his cheek, making worried noises. He rubbed her head and told her he was fine, standing straight and
turning to Pangoro. Thanking him, he heard its stomach growl again and, with a nervous laugh, asked if it wanted some
of his stew. It looked away embarrassed, then reached out its paw with a nod. Chris handed what was left in the container
over and the hungry Pokemon lifted it up, gulping it down without pause until finishing the last drop and shooting his
paw back out towards Chris, letting out a sigh and a loud grunt of thanks as he took back the empty container. "Wow...
You really were hungry... I'm impressed! Been a while since somebody ate my cooking so excitedly!" and he laughed, putting
his things away as the Pangoro suddenly stood, walking to the other side of the arena and turning to face him. Confused,
Chris stood on his side as well, blinking at the Pokemon now standing in the leaders spot. "So... Does this mean... YOU
are the leader of this place? A... Pokemon?!" and the Pangoro tilted his head in response, confused by his words just
as much as Chris was confused by the scenario. But suddenly, he heard a loud laughter fill the arena, and the old man
he ran into again earlier walked out from behnd Pangoro.


"Lad you truly are an amuzing one. You never cease to impress me and bring a smile to my face!" he said, laughing heartily
as he gave his Pangoro a pat on the back. "Proper introductions are finally in order! My name is Guile, leader of the
Saga City gym! And it is here you will fight to earn your Sagacity badge my boy!" and in response to this, Chris simply
stood with a slump and raised his finger in confusion. "Uhh... Wha...? You said you were just out on a final travel...
So you're actually the leader of the gym here...?" and the more he talked, the more Chris scratched rubbed his head in
confusion. Guile sweat a little, laughing nervously. "So sorry dear boy... I often travel around the local areas to find
trainers that would make for interesting opponents here in my gym. If I let every traveler know I was a gym leader, there
would be trouble eventually. An old man like me has to be able to enjoy his time in the great outdoors! Being swamped
by endless trainers out there would be too much of a hastle for a man my age. And this big lug here isn't exactly a
spring chicken either!" he said with a laugh, nudging Pangoro who grunted in irritation in response at being called out
as old with his arms crossed.

Apologizing to it, Guile faced Chris and smirked. "This is going to be a very interesting match indeed... It will be
a first for me in many ways, so I hope you will continue to impress me as you have thus far! I thank you for giving ol'
Pangoro a bite to eat before our match, but don't think that will gain you any favors from us, we won't be holding back
in any way. I wouldn't allow it!" he said, tapping his cane on the floor. Suddenly, the ceiling above began to close,
with stagelights flashing on as the light from outside disapeared. "Now then, lets get started shall we? I'll allow you
a moment to prepare yourself and little Ralts there, but know to stay sharp! I'll be sending Pangoro towards you at full
force at any moment!" and as he finished speaking, Pangoro took a running stance, unsheathing its claws with a grin.


Chris laughed nervously, gulping as he set Ralts down in front of him and prepared it to fight, reassuring her things
would turn out alright, win or lose. With a nod, she turned around and put up her small fists, causing Pangoro's eyes
to shoot open wide as he blushed, grinning and pointing towards her as he looked back at Guile in a... "ain't dat' cute?!"
sort of way, but he knocked it on the head with his staff and cleared his throat, telling Pangoro to stay focused. It
rubbed its head with a grumble and nodded, and with a loud order from Guile, suddenly charged forward, crushing the
ground behind it with evry step. Ralts started to panic, feeling the ground trembling beneath her feet as she flailed
her arms, but Chris told her to focus. The mighty Pangoro got closer and closer to Ralts, readying a powerful slash as
its claws cut through the air. Closer... Closer... Closer the beast came until... Suddenly... "PSYCHIC!!!" Chris shouted,
with Ralts suddenly shooting its arms out in front of it, halting Pangoro as its claw reached within an inch from her
face. Growling, it struggled to pull its paw out of Ralts control, until suddenly Guile ordered it to use the other claw.
Pangoro sent its claw flying, smacking it against Ralts and sending her flying over the arena as a result, smashing back
down onto the floor.


Shouting towards her and asking if she was alright, Chris started to move until Pangoro put its arm in front of him,
pointing where he stood as if to tell him to "stay put" as it charged towards Ralts. The small Pokemon weakly raised up,
wobbling and rubbing her face. She started to panic once again, flailing her arms around terrified and calling out for
help. Chris grit his teeth, trying to think of something before it was hurt again. Guile kept an eye on Chris, showing
a serious expression as he ordered Pangoro to use a full force body slam on Ralts. This caused his Pokemon to glance
towards him in shock for a brief moment, but quickly shook his head and launched his body forward even faster. Chris
cutched his head, trying to think of something until... Suddenly...


He looked up towards the stagelights, shielding his eyes with his hand and suddenly thinking about his battles with Ralts.
Looking back, Pangoro was a mere few feet away from coming into contact with her. He quickly shouted out, giving her
the order to use signal beam and dodge combined. Facing where she heard Pangoro coming from, Ralts quickly jumped as
far as she could to the side, sending a harsh signal beam right into Pangoro's face, blinding it briefly as its body
slam missed, causing the Pokemon to run off the side of the arena, smashing into the wall and splashing into the river.
Ralts stood back up with a wobble, flailing its arms around nervously. "Don't worry Ralts! You did fine, he missed!"


They both let out a sigh together, and she started trotting quickly back towards Chris. However, Guile smirked as his
Pangoro launched high into the air from the water. "Now Pangoro! Use comet punch!" he ordered. Ralts jolted and looked
around as Pangoro let out a loud growl from above, lunging its body downwards thrusting its fist. Chris ordered Ralts
to use its Magic Leaf along with its Fire Punch at the same time, and with a nod she formed a large ball of fire which
engulfed the leaf attack, turning it into that of a makeshift flamethrower! The inferno blasted Pangoro as it fell into
the fire headfirst, covering its face with a loud growl while Ralts ran off towards Chris. It slammed into the ground,
rubbing the ashes off its face and patting away the fires covering its fur, leaving its body scortched and covered in
soot. Looking over its burnt fur, Pangoro became enraged and let out a loud roar, charging towards Ralts yet again. With
a nod, Guile snapped his fingers, with his pokemon grinning in response. As Chris tried to order Ralts to use Psychic
again, Pangoro was too quick and grabbed her. Spinning around, it pulled its arm back further and further until suddenly
hurling Ralts into the air as high as it could. Chris yelled out to her as she went higher and higher, and as Guile held
up his hand to snap his fingers again, Pangoro reached up his claw, ready to catch her.


"Afraid you're too slow lad! Once Pangoro catches Ralts, he will send it into the ground and end the fight! It was a
nice match though, gotta say I expected more out of it nonetheless!" and he laughed, smirking as the two waited for
Ralts to come back down. However, after a moment, Pangoro started sweating all over, its eyes growing wider and wider
as it started shaking. Guile tilted his head confused, looking up as well, and suddenly noticed the Ralts had gone right
through the ceiling via an open window. Chris's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "THAT'S how you treat peoples Pokemon
in a fight?!! You throw them into the abyss when you're finished with them?!!" he shouted, running towards his rucksack
as Guile ordered the ceiling open. He ran up to Pangoro and tried to help the Pokemon find wherever the Ralts flew off
to, as Chris suddenly pulled out his pair of binoculars, looking around in the sky. After a moment, he finally found her
just as she started to plummet back towards the gym. Trying to think of a way to help her, he suddenly thought of a way
to catch the two off guard and... Maybe... Come out a winner in the process...


Running back to his place on the arena, Chris suddenly shouted as loudly as he could into the sky. This caused Guile and
his Pangoro both to jump in surprise, blinking at him confused. Chris told Ralts to summon the largest ball of nature
it could using Magic Leaf, and to use its Icy Wind at the same time. The two continued looking at Chris, then back up
towards the sky bewildered, then at him again, wondering what in the world he was thinking just standing around giving
orders to the great beyond. Guile suddenly ordered his two servants to come forward and head out to find his Ralts as
quickly as they could, also giving Pangoro the order to help in the search, but as the two started eaving with Pangoro,
and as Guile was walking up to Chris worried the accident may have done something to his mind, he saw a grin on Chris's
face as he pulled the binoculars away from his eyes. "This battle isn't over yet... You better get back in place with
Pangoro before you lose for breaking the rules!"


Blinking at Chris wide eyed, he tried to tell him the match was over as his Ralts was now missing, but shaking his head
Chris turned Guile around and put the binoculars over his eyes. "SWEET MOTHER!!!!!" he shouted, suddenly running across
the arena and demanding Pangoro return to its place on the field. His servants and his Pokemon equally bewildered now,
Pangoro walked up as it sweat all over, trying to question Guile with grunts while pointing towards the exit. "Just get
in place and use Bulk Up immediately!!!" he ordered, causing Pangoro to suddenly jolt and solute him nervously. Facing
Chris, it started growling as it flexed, pressing its paws firmly together in front of it as it focused.


In the sky, Ralts was on her way back down, faster and faster as she stood atop a massive chunk of ice, likely the size
of half the stadium!! As it rocketed down, the ice formed a trail of shimmering powder behind it, making it look like
that of a dazzling comet while making its way towards the arena below. Throughout the town, citizens started taking notice
one by one, pointing towards the sky as some of the ice fell like snow over them. Once it got close enough, Pangoro was
able to suddenly sense the massice chunk of ice plummeting down, and as it looked up, the poor Pokemon's eyes suddenly
shot open wide as its legs trembled. His expression had "this is gunna' hurt..." written all over it as he resumed using
his Bulk Up ability to prepare. Chris was cheering for Ralts, jumping around all over the place as he laughed, while atop
the mass of ice, Ralts was dancing around and laughing as well, the powdery, snow like trail coming from the mass tickling
it all over. Right as it reached the arena, Chris told her to jump, and in response she lept off the mass and landed
in his arms, the impact causing Chris to fall backwards as he laughed.


Suddenly, Guiled shouted "GIGA IMPACT" and his Pangoro shot its fist in the air with everything it had, sending Guile,
his servants, along with Chris and Ralts into the river surrounding the arena. It was Pangoro's final attack against
the comet like mass of ice, and as its surface started cracking all over, Pangoro grinned. However, it slowly sent his
body more and more into the arena floor until, suddenly, the comet erupted into pieces and collapsed down all over it.
As everyone climbed back onto the arena, they looked at the mountain of ice now covering the it, leaving Guile with
his jaw dropped as his servants simply said... "Unbelievable..." in unison.


Ralts was choking in Chris's arms from the water, and as he rubbed its back asking if it was alright, he walked up to
the ice and set Ralts down, asking it to use its Psychic to help him get Pangoro out. As they started digging away,
Guile and his servants walked up to join them when the arena started rumbling like an earthquake. They all fell backwards
as Pangoro erupted from the top of the ice, like that of a volcano with a loud roar. Trembling all over, it looked down
at Chris and Ralts before suddenly falling backwards, rolling down the pile of ice until flopping onto the arena floor
out cold. Rubbing the back of his head, unsure of how to react to how the battle ended... Guile simply said...


"Well... Ya beat me... That's for sure!" and he walked up to Chris, shaking his hand and poking Pangoro with his staff.
"Never had a defeat like this in all my years though... Nonetheless, even though it worked out in your favor, I'm sorry
for what happened to Ralts, that wasn't our intention whatsoever. We would never purposely put any Pokemon in danger
like that, rival or not... So I hope you can forgive us for that incident." Waving his hands nervously, Chris told him 
it was alright. Guile thought over the final attack and chuckled. "It was thanks to the abundance of nature here that 
Ralts was able to summon enough material to create such a mass, combined with its high altitude that allowed it to 
summon a temperature friggid enough to create something so large and heavy...This was a very impressive move on your 
part lad..." he told Chris as his servants brought up a small box. "In here, you'll find the Sagacity badge already 
placed within for you. Please accept it as your prize for winning, and as an appology from the two of us."


Guile bowed as did his servants, and Chris blinked at them with a nod in response, telling them not to worry about it.
Opening the case, he saw his badge gleaming, black and white in the shape of a Pangoro's head, reminding him oddly of
a yin yang symbol. With a smile, he took it out and held it up into the light. "Can't believe we actually did it...
Wanna feel Ralts?" he asked, squatting down and holding it out. "You beat that huge Pangoro and won the very first
gym battle of my life... Earned my first ever badge too! You really are incredible, you know that?"


Ralts rubbed the badge as she flushed bright red, facing up towards Chris with a smile. However, she suddenly jolted
as her horn glowed brightly. Guile blinked in surprise as he watched, with Pangoro finally waking up behind him and
raising up with a groan, rubbing its head as it too looked at Ralts. Suddenly, the small Pokemon began glowing all
over, causing Chris to jump back in shock. "You okay? Did I summon an attack by accident?!" he asked, holding up his
arms nervously. However, Guile smirked and walked up next to him, placing his hand on Chris's shoulder.


"My boy, this Pokemon is one that surpasses many, if not, possibly all others when it comes to its bond with whomever
becomes its human companion. Its emotions are one and the same as its companion, like that of a mirror if you will.
The stronger your emotions, and the more positive, the more it will grow, just as it does when fighting. Having been
able to experience this with you and sensing your emotions... Added with the way the two of you met... I do believe 
your Ralts is already evolving!"


As they all surrounded Ralts, the small Pokemon clutched the badge tightly, smiling from ear to ear as she started...
Changing...